The Selfsame Yearning
by hmweasley
Summary: At the end of last school year, Albus's girlfriend Eden dumped him for a reason that Albus is still confused about months later. As his fourth year of Hogwarts begins, Albus continues to try to figure out just what he feels for his best friend Scorpius. Sequel to Or Perhaps in Slytherin.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **I meant to have this up at least two weeks ago, but moving to a new country takes up a fair amount of time. That being said, I don't know when I'll be able to get the next chapter up. A huge thank you to Pendragon2601 for beta reading this chapter.**

"United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning."

— J.K. Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_

Prologue

The sun shone through the windows as Albus and Eden ambled down the corridor in the direction of Eden's classroom. He'd had it drilled into him over the past several months that a good boyfriend walked his girlfriend to class. Usually, Eden loved to use this time to talk, but she was being strangely quiet.

"What's up?" Albus asked.

Eden sighed before pausing in her steps and turning to face him. Albus mirrored her. When they'd begun dating, he'd been almost even with her in height, but the same growth spurt that had led his mother to buy him new trousers over Christmas had made it so that he had to look down at her.

"You know class is about to start," he said, glancing between her and the turn they needed to take to reach her classroom.

Eden nodded but didn't otherwise answer.

"We need to talk," she said instead.

Albus shifted uneasily. He had no idea what this was about, but he could tell from Eden's hesitation that it wasn't good. He tried to remember if he'd done anything she could be angry about.

He couldn't come up with anything.

"I think we need to break up," she said abruptly.

It was so unexpected that it took Albus several seconds to process what she was saying.

"What? Why?"

Her answer seemed to be harder for her to voice than the break up declaration. She was no longer looking him in the eye as she fiddled with the straps of her school bag.

"At first, I thought I was just reading into things too much, and then I thought that maybe it would stop once we were together awhile, but I'm tired of dating someone who likes someone else, Albus. It's not fair to me, and it's not fair to Scorpius either."

The contents of Albus's just consumed lunch sloshed unpleasantly in his stomach. His mouth felt dry, making it difficult to speak.

"What are you on about? Eden, I like you, not anyone else. That's why we're dating!"

She finally looked at him, and he saw pity in her eyes. He tried to swallow, but there was nothing but air.

Albus wouldn't make it to his class that day, but that was the least of his worries.

Chapter 1

The commotion on the platform could still be heard as Albus led Rose down the train corridor, having to brush past student after student. After following this routine twice a year for the past three years, Albus felt like he had it down. Without any hesitation, he headed straight for the compartment that Scorpius had been in on each trip they'd taken to Hogwarts.

He was a fourth year, with at least as much of the school younger than him as was older than him. It was enough that many people moved out of his way. He could remember his first trip on the Hogwarts Express when he'd felt the need to plaster himself against the wall as he squeezed by. That wasn't how it was anymore.

Sliding the door open without a second of hesitation, Albus found Scorpius curled up on one of the benches, a book open in his lap. Forgetting that Rose was behind him, Albus paused in the doorway, taking in the sight of his best friend.

They hadn't seen each other over the summer. Despite the willingness of the Potters to host him, Draco Malfoy was resistant to the idea of his son spending time elsewhere when not at Hogwarts, and the idea of having a Potter in his house unnerved him even more. Though he'd never been anything but polite the few times Albus had spoken to him, he'd become protective in the year since his wife's death.

Scorpius had been too deep into his book to hear the door open, but upon growing impatient, Rose nudged Albus forward, allowing her to enter the compartment. She slid the door shut behind her, causing the reverberation to echo through the room. Scorpius' eyes shot up, startled until he saw Albus and then Rose. He smiled brightly at them.

"Hi," he said.

Albus couldn't help but mirror his smile.

"Hi," he repeated, his own greeting sounding five times as enthusiastic as Rose's. She'd already begun stowing her trunk on the rack above the bench opposite Scorpius. Albus checked himself, looking away from Scorpius and taking care of his own trunk and owl, Trace, who chirped happily at the sight of her friend once she'd been stowed away.

"How was your summer?" Albus asked, sitting down next to Scorpius and turning to face him, legs crossed in front of him.

Scorpius shrugged, a small frown on his face despite his attempts to hide it.

"Same as always, I suppose."

Albus watched him. It couldn't have been the same as always, not when it was the first full summer that Astoria had been gone. Albus would never dare say such a thing aloud, but he did wish that Scorpius would tell him the truth.

"My family and I went to France," Rose bragged. Despite the satisfied smile on her face, she was watching Scorpius as closely as Albus was, gauging whether she was helping or hurting him by deflecting attention.

"We know," Albus said, rolling his eyes. He felt a surge of pride when he heard Scorpius giggle, but he kept his gaze on Rose. "You had to've mentioned it as much in your letters to Scorpius as you have to me all summer."

He glanced over to see Scorpius nodding.

Rose turned up her nose at him, crossing her arms against her chest.

"I'd been waiting for that trip for more than a year. Excuse me for being excited."

"I understand," Scorpius said, though his lips were turned up in an amused grin. "I get just as excited when we go on holiday." His face fell. "We didn't go anywhere this year."

Albus scooted across the bench to press his arm against Scorpius's. Scorpius looked up at him and attempted to grin. It wasn't convincing.

"We didn't go anywhere either," Albus shared. "Dad was too busy with work. I'm amazed Aunt Hermione got away, being Minister and all."

Rose shrugged. She'd dropped her formerly crossed arms, giving up the appearance of offense.

"She worked every day using the floo. There's no way she could completely escape."

She sounded surprisingly okay with her mother being occupied during their family holiday. She wasn't lying. Rose had always been so proud of her mother that she never minded the time her job took up.

"We managed to do lots though," Rose continued. She leaned forward eagerly despite having told them her stories in her letters. The boys let her ramble, and Scorpius even listened. Albus grew bored, and he found his eyes wandering to Scorpius instead.

It was a dangerous thing to do. They were sitting close enough together that there was no way to be discreet about it. There was nothing he could have been looking at but Scorpius's face. Still, his eyes were drawn to the other boy.

Though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, he was making an effort to smile at Rose's stories, and he laughed at the appropriate moments. Neither Rose nor Scorpius seemed to notice that Albus didn't.

He forced his eyes away from Scorpius before he could dwell too long, but that only made him focus instead on the way their arms brushed against each other. His eyes wandered, finding Rose, who smirked.

Albus wasn't sure if that was a response to his indiscretion or not. He pretended like it wasn't. It was easier that way.

She'd been dropping hints whenever they were in the same place over the summer. Even in her letters there were scattered comments that Albus didn't know how to interpret. It was easier to believe that they had no motive, nothing he needed to worry about, but from the look in her eyes, it was difficult for him to believe that.

Scorpius repositioned himself, momentarily pressing into Albus's arm. It was enough to draw Albus's attention to the other boy again. Scorpius looked at him this time, and the sadness in his eyes had dissipated. Albus smiled back, barely hearing Rose's scoff from across the compartment.

"You two can't be like this all year," she complained. "I'll retch."

Scorpius turned away from Albus, brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Be like what?"

He looked at Albus, who kept careful control of his expression as he shrugged.

His feelings had been muted over the summer. Though never forgotten, they'd been easier to push aside in favour of other things when Scorpius wasn't right in front of him. He thought that maybe he'd sorted some things out for himself, but he was discovering that wasn't the case once he was face-to-face with Scorpius again.

He was as perplexed as he had been before.

Each time Scorpius looked at him, his heart hammered quicker in his chest, but then–

Scorpius's eyes widened, having caught sight of someone outside in the corridor.

"Eden." Scorpius said the name quietly and with a hint of thinly veiled unease.

Albus turned around, barely able to catch a glimpse of the back of his ex-girlfriend's head before she'd disappeared down the corridor.

Rose whistled. "She did not look happy to catch sight of you, Al."

Albus shrugged. She shouldn't have been. He'd never accept that their breakup was entirely his fault, but some of it was. The words she'd said to him echoed through his head sometimes when he was left to his thoughts.

Scorpius nudged at his arm, and Albus smiled at him, trying to calm the worried look in his eyes.

"You okay?" Scorpius asked, not responding to Albus's smile. "I know you took the breakup hard. It has to be difficult to see her."

If only Scorpius knew the real reason that the breakup had been difficult. He nodded, giving Scorpius as reassuring a smile as he could manage.

"I'm fine," he said, not bothering to glance at Rose to see what she thought. She was as oblivious to Eden's accusations as Scorpius was. "Really, I'm over Eden. The whole thing was nice while it lasted, but it was never meant to be forever, you know?"

Scorpius nodded, but he looked at Albus as if he couldn't make sense of something. His head was tilted to the side, and Albus found himself thinking about how adorable he looked. He forced himself to look away again.

He'd only had to survive a month and a half of this the previous school year. Before then, he'd managed to remain oblivious for years. If only he could have gone back to that. Scorpius was going to drive him mad, and they hadn't even made it to the castle yet.

Wracking his brain for a way to get the attention off of himself, Albus asked Scorpius, "What did you do at home all summer?"

If he noticed anything odd in Albus's voice, Scorpius didn't question it. With a small grin, he began telling Albus and Rose about the wizard's chess tournament that he and his father had held between themselves.

Albus listened with rapt attention, not caring how many times Scorpius brought up beating his father in less than ten minutes. It didn't matter what Scorpius had to say; Albus found all of it rather fascinating.

XXX

While it was difficult to conceal from Scorpius his innermost thoughts, Albus thought it might have been growing easier as the first week of term passed. They fell into their old routines instantly despite the different class schedule.

Rose, too, had fallen back into more of the same.

"I can't believe that we've started our fourth year and still haven't found the Room of Requirement. Of course, I haven't had the time to look that I would have liked. The course load gets heavier each year, and I have to spend most of my time on it if I want to make it into the Ministry. It's just unfortunate that I haven't made more time to search for the room."

Albus sighed.

"Maybe if you spent as much time looking as you do talking about it," he muttered. Rose didn't hear him, but Scorpius had to stifle a giggle.

They'd made it to the front door of the castle and come out into the cooling September air. Rose led the way as they travelled in the direction of Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. The wind blew Rose's hair in her face. It took her a moment to secure it and continue speaking.

"The things we could do with that room if we found it…" She shook her head. "There wouldn't be a limit to how useful it could be."

Albus shrugged, though she wasn't looking at him. He'd long grown tired of the search for the room. Scorpius, however, still managed to get excited whenever Rose discussed it, despite not being as committed to the search as she was.

"It would be useful," Scorpius agreed. "By now, though, it's almost as if someone doesn't want us to find it."

Rose waved a dismissive hand in the air.

"It's a room. It doesn't care one way or the other if it's found. We're not looking hard enough."

"The room may not care if it's found," Albus said, "but I'm starting to think it's not the room that's against you. Have you ever considered that it might be the professors who don't want anyone finding it? For all we know, it can't be found by anyone anymore."

Rose paused in her steps. Hagrid's hut was visible in front of her. Albus could see half of their class gathered outside of it, talking amongst themselves. Neither Hagrid nor any creatures had appeared yet.

Rose had her thinking face on, the one Albus dreaded seeing because there was a good chance he'd get dragged into something he didn't want to be a part of.

"I suppose there's a chance," she said. "I could get why the professors would want to keep us from finding it, but I don't think that's what's going on."

"Why's that?" Scorpius asked. "It makes sense to me."

Albus grinned at him, and he thought he might have seen a light blush on Scorpius's cheeks before the blonde turned away from him.

"The Room of Requirement is a crucial part of Hogwarts." Rose sounded offended, as if either of them had claimed otherwise. "The secret passageways, the ghosts, the hidden secrets, that's what makes Hogwarts special. You can't take those away, and that includes the Room of Requirement. Maybe the professors want to make it harder for rule breakers, but they'd never mess with the true magic of Hogwarts."

"That sounds kind of..." Albus struggled for a word.

"Idealistic," Scorpius said, earning a nod from Albus. "But I think it makes sense."

Albus shot him a disapproving look, but Scorpius wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Rose, who looked proud.

"Thank you, Scorpius."

She turned and began walking towards the hut. They'd only gone a few more steps when Hagrid stepped out of the Forbidden Forest, but he had no creatures with him.

"The room is still accessible," Rose said, her voice growing quieter as they got closer to their classmates. "It has to be, and I will find it. It's up to you guys whether you want to help me or not."

Scorpius looked towards Albus as if he alone could answer Rose's question. Albus didn't give him, or Rose, a response. For three years he'd been trying to get out of searching for the Room of Requirement, and the trips had grown infrequent in years two and three.

"Why does it matter so much?" he asked. "Sure, the room is cool, but what would we do with it?"

He wasn't expecting the devilish smile on Rose's face.

"About that," she said. They'd reached their class, and Rose kept them on the fringes of the group to talk to them in a semblance of privacy. "I thought a lot about it over the summer, and I think I have a plan."

"What is it?" Scorpius asked eagerly.

Rose puffed out her chest as she spoke. She had wanted to share this with them for a long time.

"You know how we've always said that it's hard for people from different houses to spend time together because the castle isn't set up for it?" She paused long enough for both of the boys to nod. "Well, all four houses can get into the room, and it can be whatever we want, including the perfect place to hang out."

"So you want to turn it into some sort of hangout for all four houses," Albus clarified. "You're going to advertise it to the whole school once you find it?"

He wasn't sure that sounded like a good idea, but Rose was nodding eagerly.

"Might that make the professors ban the room if they haven't already hidden it?" Scorpius asked, wringing his hands together. "They might not want so many people knowing where the room is."

"I won't explain the nature of the room," she said as if that solved everything. "All they'll know is that it's a place I've set up. I don't have to tell them what the room actually is."

Albus scoffed. "As if no one would figure it out when you're letting the entire school in."

Rose pouted and was about to say something when Hagrid's booming voice descended over them, calling the class to attention. With one last glare, Rose turned from them and began maneuvering her way through the crowd so that she stood at the front. Albus and Scorpius let her go, staying towards the back of the class.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Moving and my new job have kept me very, very busy. Since I'm not likely to have much more time in the near future, I can't promise that chapter three will come quicker, but I'm hoping it will. Thanks once again to Pendragon2601 for beta reading this chapter!**

Chapter 2

The last class that Albus and Scorpius had to attend for the first time of the year was Transfiguration. So few things out of the ordinary had happened since being back at school that they approached the lesson with little excitement.

They found seats in a respectable spot, not too close to the front but not too close to the back. The third seat at their table remained empty, but that was to be expected. They didn't always sit alone, but the third chair would be taken by someone who couldn't sit with their friends once the classroom began to fill.

When a tall, skinny boy with dark brown hair took the seat, Albus was startled by the Gryffindor colours on his tie. Usually the student willing to take the seat by them was a Slytherin. This Gryffindor boy smiled at them though, so he hadn't made a mistake.

"Unable to sit with your friends?" Albus asked, struggling to keep bitterness out of his voice. He could feel Scorpius leaning forward to look at the boy from his other side.

The boy's brow scrunched together.

"No," he said. It took him a moment of thought before he said anything else. "I just figured I'd sit here today."

Albus watched him for a moment, searching for a lie, before he turned to glance at Scorpius. When the friends looked at each other, Albus could tell that Scorpius was as surprised by this as he was.

Over the years, the Slytherins had grown to accept Scorpius and Albus enough that a number of them could be considered friendly acquaintances, if not friends. The Gryffindors, though, held a grudging tolerance for the pair and nothing more.

The boy laughed.

"I guess I can get this being weird, but I'm serious."

He looked around the classroom at the other students, his expression unreadable. When his eyes caught one group of students in particular, he sighed and narrowed his eyes. Albus glanced at the other kids and saw them laughing amongst themselves.

"We've been friends since first year," the boy said abruptly. "But last night they started going on about Slytherins." He stopped himself when he looked over at Albus and Scorpius, as if he had second thoughts about sharing his story. "They'd done it before, but I'd always brushed it off as a joke. For some reason, I decided to say something this time, to tell them to shut up for once. It didn't go well."

Albus held out his hand.

"I'm Albus."

The boy looked amused at the unnecessary introduction, but he took Albus's offered hand, shaking it briefly before dropping it and moving to shake Scorpius's hand as well.

"Agustín," he informed them.

Scorpius tried to smile at him, though it was strained and uneasy.

"Scorpius."

Agustín gave him a slight nod of the head in acknowledgment.

"You know," Agustín said, "the two of you have caused a stir in Gryffindor Tower."

"What do you mean?" Albus asked.

Agustín smirked, leaning in closer.

"No one understands how a Malfoy befriended a Potter. Or vice versa. Your friendship is a mystery to a lot of people. It's ridiculous how hung up on it they are."

Scorpius shifted uneasily, always nervous when his family's past was alluded to. He never knew what to do, and often acted as if frightened that someone would start yelling at him.

"Scorpius and I aren't our families," Albus said. He locked his gaze with Agustín's, waiting to see what he would do. He was surprised when the Gryffindor looked amused.

"Obviously not," he said. "I don't think anyone believes that you are anymore. If they do, they're idiots, and that's their fault."

"I'm a Greengrass too," Scorpius muttered.

It was so quiet that Albus hadn't thought Agustín had heard it until he responded.

"I suppose you are," he said, sounding surprised at the reminder. "No one mentions that. Maybe because you have the Malfoy name, maybe because the Greengreasses are nowhere near as infamous as your dad's family. They were basically the poster family of Death Eaters."

"Poster...what?" Scorpius asked.

"Sorry," Agustín said quickly. "I'm a halfblood. Mum's a Muggleborn, and I've spent a lot of time with my Muggle grandparents. Sometimes I use Muggle words out of habit. A poster is kind of like a portrait except it's Muggle-made so it doesn't move, and it's just a piece of paper. Muggle teenagers get them with pictures of things they like and hang them on walls. So it means, like…"

He trailed off, having confused himself. Scorpius continued to stare, mouth slightly open.

"I don't know how to explain what it means," Agustín concluded. "It just… Your family were some of the most well-known Death Eaters is what I'm trying to say."

"Oh," was Scorpius's only reply. He looked even more confused than he had before. He had no experience with Muggles except walking by them in Muggle London. Much of what they did or said was a mystery to him.

There was an awkward silence. None of them knew what else to say, but it wasn't an unpleasant silence. Agustín still appeared strangely at ease for a Gryffindor sitting with two Slytherins.

Professor Ingham appeared before any of them spoke again, starting class with his usual enthusiasm.

The students had no time to talk to each other for the remainder of class. While the majority of their classes included some type of practice, allowing them to converse, Professor Ingham had decided to use their first day back to lecture on animagi, which led to more than a few looks in Albus's direction during Ingham's spiel about known animagi of the recent past.

Agustín was one of the students who glanced Albus's way at the mentions of his grandfather and Sirius Black, even nudging him in the arm. Albus did his best to smile, but it was difficult when he dreaded such attention. Agustín realized this soon after, leaving him alone.

"I'll see you guys later," Agustín said as they packed up their bags after class.

Albus nodded slowly; Scorpius didn't come up with a response before the boy was walking away. They watched him sidestep his friends—or, perhaps, former friends—on the way to the door.

"That was interesting," Albus said, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

Scorpius was at his side as they headed out of Transfiguration and in the direction of the Potions dungeon.

"It was weird," Scorpius said. "That was the first time I've talked to a Gryffindor that wasn't Rose in...well, at least this year."

Albus smiled. "We're less than a week into this year, Scorp."

Scorpius blushed.

"I meant this calendar year," he defended himself.

Albus nudged Scorpius playfully, causing the other boy to giggle, as they made their way to class.

XXX

Each year, more pointless items ended up at the bottom of Albus's trunk, making it harder to find what he needed. He growled in frustration as he threw aside a pair of trousers, not bothering to see where they landed on the dormitory floor. His roommates were each off doing who knew what around the castle. Even Scorpius had gone to meet up with Rose in the library.

It was the first time Albus had been alone since the morning of September 1st. He knew what he wanted to use the time for, but he couldn't find what he needed. He'd been careful to stow it, hidden, underneath everything else, and that had been effective. Swearing under his breath, he got up to retrieve his wand from his bedside table. He wasn't going to find it the Muggle way.

" _Accio_ journal," he muttered, unnecessarily worried that speaking any louder would mean that someone overheard him.

The small, leatherbound journal flew into his hand. Albus threw aside the sock that had come along for the ride and even took the time to throw his trousers back inside before shutting his trunk and leaving it as much of a mess as it had been before.

He carried the journal over to his bed carefully, as if someone would appear and demand to know what it was. No one but his mother, who had bought it for him, knew that Albus possessed a journal, and not even Ginny was aware of how important the simple book was to Albus.

Its pages reflected everything of importance that had happened over the last several years, though much of it was written long after the events had taken place. Albus only wrote in the journal when he could be sure he wouldn't be disturbed, which didn't happen frequently when you attended a boarding school.

Whenever he did manage it, he always felt a sense of relief afterwards, like he was freeing something from inside himself.

It was a feeling that he needed after trying to suppress so much over the past week.

He flipped through the pages too quickly to read the words. He knew everything contained in the book. Very little of the earlier pages held anything that continued to plague him, but the same couldn't be said once one got to the pages written towards the end of his third year.

Albus paused, staring at the words just as he had far too many times since writing them. Eden's name was used frequently on these pages, the first person to appear anywhere near as many times as Scorpius did in what Albus had to say.

He sighed at the thought of both of them. That had been the problem, really, not that Scorpius had any idea.

 _Today Eden broke up with me. Merlin, just writing that down feels bad. I feel like I did something wrong. Usually you have when someone breaks up with you, and Eden sure thinks that I did. But I swear I have no idea what she's talking about. She swore I should've and thought I was lying. I didn't know how to get her to believe me._

 _I don't even want to write down the stuff she said because it makes me feel weird._

 _Merlin, I'm going to have to write it down. That's the point of this thing._

Albus could remember how his hand had trembled and how he'd taken a long pause once he'd reached this point. Even now, silently reading his own words, he had to look away from the page and brace himself before reading what followed.

 _Eden thinks I like Scorpius more than I like her. Not as a friend either. Merlin, Eden actually thinks I like Scorpius like how I'm supposed to like her. She said something like, "Don't tell me you don't want to kiss him Albus." And I don't know what to do. Because I'd never thought about it before she said that. At least, I don't think I have. I told Eden that, but she didn't believe me. She said I was lying._

 _Now I think I'm losing my mind. I hate that Eden broke up with me, but that's not why. Now I can't remember what I have and haven't thought before. Have I thought about kissing Scorpius? At first I thought I definitely hadn't, but now I don't know. How do I not know!? That's something that someone should know. I can't not know what I've thought before, but I feel like I'm forgetting something. What does that mean!?_

 _After awhile I kind of convinced Eden that I was telling the truth. She could tell that I was confused, and she started saying stuff about how I shouldn't be ashamed to be gay, she just didn't want to be dragged down by me. I don't know what that means either. I don't think I'm ashamed of being gay? I don't even know if I am gay?_

 _The thing is, even if I did like Scorpius, I definitely liked Eden too. I wasn't lying to her, even if she doesn't believe me. I liked her, but it's true that Scorpius is my best friend, and I care about him more than anyone else in the world. What's the difference between that and liking him like Eden said?_

 _Did I like Eden? I swore I did, but now I'm confused. I think I liked her. I definitely did I think._

 _If I did like Scorpius though and if I did like him more than I like Eden, then what does that mean? Would I be gay? Is that why I like Scorpius more? Or did I really like Eden and like Scorpius more because he's Scorpius, my best friend? Or is he my best friend? I mean he is obviously but is he_ just _my best friend!?_

Reading the words again made Albus's head hurt. He remembered the sting of his eyes after writing it. He was no less confused than he had been that day, and he hated the way the words became messier as they travelled down the page, not just because his hand had tired but because they'd been written with increasing distress.

If anything, his questions had grown in number and intensity since the night he had poured his thoughts into his journal, tucked in some random alcove on the fourth floor to avoid his roommates. Scorpius had assumed that Albus had been off mourning Eden, and Albus hadn't had the courage to contradict him.

The door to the dormitory flew open, and Albus scrambled to shove the journal under his pillow. His heart raced in his chest as he saw that it was Scorpius who had entered, Scorpius who walked silently. There was never any warning before he appeared.

The blonde boy smiled when he saw Albus, not having noticed his rush to hide the journal, until he saw the look on Albus's face. He paused.

"Thinking about Eden again?" Scorpius asked.

Each time Scorpius had noticed that Albus looked upset since the breakup, he'd assumed that Albus was sad about Eden. Since most of the time the real source was something he didn't dare discuss with Scorpius, Albus had gone along with it.

"Yeah, kind of," he said. He had been thinking about Eden after all.

Scorpius tried to give him a sorrowful look, but Albus could see the spark of happiness in his eyes at the reminder of the breakup. Scorpius had never liked Eden; Albus had known that from the start. They'd gotten along well enough that Albus hadn't felt guilty about dating her, but most of the niceties on Scorpius's end had been more out of a desire not to hurt Albus than an actual liking towards Eden. That wasn't to say Scorpius had disliked her either. It had been more of an inability for Scorpius to feel at ease when she was around.

Still standing in the doorway, Scorpius shifted from one foot to the other, his eyes flicking around the room instead of settling on anything.

"I'm sorry," he said awkwardly. Even months after the breakup he had no idea what to say whenever it came up.

Albus couldn't help but grin, and he was thankful that Scorpius wasn't looking at him as he struggled to appear serious.

"It's fine," he replied. "Come on in," he said, hoping such an invitation would help alleviate the awkwardness.

Scorpius moved to sit on the edge of his bed, facing Albus, who was leaning against his pillow, scared the journal would be seen if he moved.

Albus watched the other boy as he made himself comfortable. He felt the same sense of fondness that he'd felt since first year except far more complicated. Scorpius, as always, didn't notice his gaze or, perhaps, was so used to it that he didn't bother to acknowledge it. By the time he looked back at Albus, Albus had controlled his features.

"How's Rose?" Albus asked, taking the topic off of himself.

As Albus knew he would, Scorpius launched into an animated recount of everything he and Rose had been talking about.

 **A/N: If I seem to have disappeared (momentarily) from here, feel free to check my Tumblr (madetofly) where I've probably posted. I'll try to post small things here or there if it gets to be a little while to assure everyone that I haven't forgotten about this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What?" Albus snapped, frustrated after glancing up from his book and seeing Rose watching him for the fifth time.

Rose shrugged, not put off by the sharpness of Albus's tone. She absentmindedly brushed back the hair that had blown in her face. They were sitting along the lake under the same tree that Albus and Scorpius often sat beneath when it was just the two of them. Today, Scorpius was visiting his owl in the owlery instead of joining them.

"I want to talk to you about something."

Albus had expected as much from the moment she sat down across from him, but he was annoyed as he made a show of slipping his parchment into his Potions textbook to mark his place.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's about Scorpius."

His stomach felt like it had dropped out from underneath him when she said it, and his brain was incapable of coming up with a coherent response.

"What about Scorpius?" he asked, trying and failing to feign confusion.

Rose looked at him in pity.

"Don't be daft, Albus. I'm not going to explain it as if you have no idea what I'm talking about."

"What if I really don't have any idea what you're talking about?"

Rose sighed, pulling up a blade of grass and shredding it between her fingers.

"You look at him like he's the sun," she said quietly. "I pulled that from a book I read, but it fits. It reminds me of how my parents look at each other, but you're only fourteen, which makes it kind of weird."

Albus stared at her. A number of possible responses flashed through his mind, all of which felt valid yet not quite right.

"I look at him the same way I always have."

Rose shrugged, dropping the shredded grass to the ground.

"You pretty much do. That makes it weirder. It's gotten worse recently. Before you only did it when he did something that got your attention. Now you do it all the time. Scorpius could talk about murdering someone and you would still look at him like that."

Albus cringed at the hypothetical, but Rose was unperturbed.

Albus looked towards the ground, debating with himself over what he should say. He felt a strange wave of emotions come over him, and he could already tell that he was about to reveal more to Rose than he had meant to.

She got up and came to sit beside him under the tree. She didn't touch him, but she was close enough that he would have known she was there without seeing her. Even with her sitting there, he wasn't sure if the proximity was welcome or not. A large part of him wanted to end this conversation or go back in time and avoid it all together.

"Eden broke up with me because she thinks I'm in love with Scorpius," he said, amazing himself at his ability to get the words out. For a while, he'd thought that he'd take that secret to the grave. Eden had promised not to tell anyone, and Albus sure hadn't meant to.

Rose hummed, and Albus could tell that she wasn't surprised. In response to his raised eyebrow, she shrugged.

"She was into you, Al, so I knew she didn't break up with you because she'd lost interest. You really were obvious about Scorpius. I would have been disappointed in her if she hadn't caught on."

Albus growled in frustration, shoving his textbook off his lap and onto the ground. He took immense satisfaction from the resulting crash.

His outburst made Rose more amused. He could tell that she was holding back laughter. She bit her lip, but her smile was visible.

"I don't know how to look at him any differently," Albus said in what was almost a whine.

Rose sighed, the smile on her face morphing into something kind.

"The thing is, you don't have to look at him any differently. There's an easy solution to this whole thing."

"No," Albus replied louder than he had planned to. "No, I can't do that."

Rose's annoyance returned.

"You can though. It's a simple process. Let me walk you through it: You and Scorpius are sitting, talking or whatever it is you do when you're alone, and then you say, 'Scorpius, I like you as more than a friend.' Scorpius responds, tells you that he likes you too. You kiss." Albus felt his cheeks heat up. "And the problem is solved. Everyone's happy."

"You don't get the problem," Albus pushed. "I don't even understand it all. I don't get what I'm feeling. How am I supposed to talk about it with Scorpius, especially when he might not like me back?"

"Don't know what you're feeling?" Rose's brow creased in a frown. "You like Scorpius. What do you mean that you don't get what you're feeling?"

Albus was quiet for a minute, thinking back to those questions that he'd scribbled down in his journal, the same questions that had plagued his thoughts for months. He'd never spoken any of them aloud.

He had to say something though. Rose would never let him rest until she figured out what he'd meant.

"Before Eden said that stuff, I didn't think Scorpius was anything but my best friend. I thought she'd lost it when she said I liked him. It was only later that I started thinking about it and got confused. Now I don't know what I used to feel. My brain's muddled when I try to think back to before."

"Maybe you're not letting yourself actually think about it because you're scared."

Albus shook his head.

"I think about it plenty. That's not the problem. I can remember everything that happened, but I can't remember how I felt during it. I've always liked Scorpius because he's my best friend, and I know that I've liked him more than anyone else. I thought Eden was different because I liked her in a different way."

"You thought," Rose tacked on, causing Albus to glare. She didn't back down, giving him a self-satisfied smile until Albus deflated.

"Let's say that I did like Scorpius and that I did like him more than Eden," he said, "I don't know what that means. I don't know how I'm supposed to tell what's friendship and what's romantic. If I had to choose between the two of them, I'd chose Scorpius in a heartbeat, but that doesn't mean I like him, like him, right?"

"Well, no," Rose said with a shrug. "Not necessarily."

"So how do you tell?" Albus asked, true desperation leaking from his voice. It was enough to cause Rose's eyes to soften. "Because I like Scorpius more than Eden, but I don't know what kind of like it is. And if I did like Scorpius like that, then what about Eden? Because I swear that I liked her, I really thought I did, but what if I just thought I did because I'd never dated someone before and thought that was what I was supposed to feel? Did I like both of them and just happen to like Scorpius the person more, or am I gay and didn't like Eden like I thought I did?"

Rose took so long answering that Albus thought she wouldn't. It was fine. He couldn't expect Rose to solve questions he'd spent months trying to figure out for himself and hadn't.

"You could be bisexual," Rose said, "or you could be gay. I can't figure it out for you. Sorry."

Albus felt a rush of frustration and turned away, facing the lake. Rose didn't let him get away with it, moving so that she was still beside him but also facing him.

"How much does it matter?" she asked carefully. "If you know you like Scorpius, you don't have to wait to figure it out before you do something about it."

Albus shook his head, refusing to look at her. She could never understand how conflicted he felt inside.

"But how do I know that I actually like Scorpius _that_ way?"

Rose's empathy faded as she scoffed.

"Albus, I promise that you like Scorpius that way. It's written all over your face whenever the two of you are in the same room."

This bothered Albus more than anything else she'd said.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

When Rose nodded, he leaned his head against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes and trying to block out the world.

"When you say it's obvious," he continued, "do you mean just to you or to everyone?"

"Obvious to anyone who pays attention," she said. "But if you're worried about Scorpius, I don't think he's realized, which is frustrating too." Her voice took on a thoughtful tone. "I think it's because he's convinced that you would never like him like that because you're too good for–"

"What!?" Albus asked, his eyes flying open. "Too good for him?" He finished Rose's words for her without waiting for the entire statement. "No, you have to be wrong. If he hasn't realized, then it's either because I've been better at hiding it than you think or because me liking him is such a strange idea that it would never occur to him."

"Trust me." There was pity in Rose's eyes that Albus couldn't make sense of. "It's neither of those reasons."

Albus stared up at the underside of the tree's leaves and the way the sunlight scattered through them.

"What gives me away?" he asked.

"I told you, you look at him like he's the most amazing thing you've ever seen. It's written all over your face, but if you want the whole list of things you do, it might take forever. You get way too happy each time the two of you touch, even if one of you is just handing the other a quill. If you think someone has hurt him, then you're way more likely to yell at that person than if they'd insulted you instead. And you're the only person willing to sit through his rants about how flobberworms are the victims of unfair prejudices even though it's long, he says the same thing every time, and I know you aren't actually interested."

For a moment, all Albus could do was stare at Rose in surprise. He'd more or less realized that he did those things, but he'd never thought that they drew attention.

"Isn't that normal when it comes to your best friend?" he asked. "You defend your best friend, and you listen when he talks about something he likes."

Rose smirked. "You more than put up with it though, don't you? You have that same look on your face when he's talking about the flobberworms as you do every other time. I can't listen to him go on about it without zoning out. Half the time I'll start reading and he doesn't notice. Not you though, you stare at him the entire time and it's not what he's saying that's holding your attention."

Albus muttered something about not wanting to appear rude, but Rose knew that wasn't the truth. He did often find himself staring at Scorpius whenever he talked about something. Albus couldn't help it. Scorpius's entire face would light up, and it was mesmerizing. He liked seeing Scorpius excited.

"Shit," he muttered.

Rose smirked.

"So," she said, drawing out the 'o'. "You like Scorpius?"

Albus blinked a few times.

"How did I go three years thinking this was normal?"

The question was meant to be rhetorical, but Rose took it upon herself to answer anyway.

"You didn't want to see it. So, when do you plan to say something to Scorpius?"

Albus's eyes widened. "I can't do that!"

"And why not? You like him. We've established that."

"Yes, yes, I like Scorpius. Okay? Maybe I've gotten that, but I'm still confused Rose. I still can't figure out whether I actually liked Eden or not."

Rose sighed, and for the first time, she touched him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. Albus didn't sink into the touch, but he didn't pull away either.

"Dating Scorpius might help you figure that out. It can't hurt anything."

Albus shook his head.

"No, I won't say anything to Scorpius if I'm unsure, especially not when he could reject me anyway."

Rose let out a groan that startled Albus.

"Why do you think he would reject you?"

Albus raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you seem so sure that he wouldn't?"

Rose was quiet for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip while she debated with herself.

"I don't think you're giving him enough credit," she said.

Albus watched her, trying to figure out what else she was hiding, but her face had become little more than a mask.

"Scorpius isn't the issue anyway," he said. "I am."

Rose muttered something under breath that Albus couldn't make out. She looked thoroughly frustrated, but she had also sensed that there was no getting through to Albus.

Reaching down, she picked up her Charms book and the parchment she had been writing her essay on.

"Have you done this yet?" she asked, waving the parchment in front of his face. "I want a second opinion on my argument in the third paragraph."

Albus welcomed the change in subject in a way he rarely welcomed anything to do with homework.

XXX

By the time Albus returned, Scorpius was already back in their dormitory, leaning back on his bed with an open book balanced on his knees.

It was a familiar sight, but Albus felt his hands begin to sweat in a way that was newer. Scorpius looked up when Albus let the door fall shut. Albus tried his best not to look directly at him as he headed for his trunk, bending down to store his school things inside of it.

He could feel Scorpius's eyes on him.

"Everything okay?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," Albus replied, trying his best to act like he didn't understand why Scorpius would be asking such a question.

Scorpius didn't fall for the attempt. Albus chanced a glance at the other boy once he'd run out of ways to occupy himself with the trunk and saw that Scorpius was still watching him with a furrowed brow.

"You sure?" Scorpius asked.

Albus didn't answer at first. He closed and locked his trunk and made his way over to his bed, throwing himself upon it in a way that mirrored how Scorpius was sitting.

"I'm fine, I promise."

He smiled at Scorpius though he could tell that it wasn't his usual smile. Rose had scared him; Albus couldn't even force himself to look at Scorpius like he usually did.

Scorpius smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes. He went back to his book, but Albus saw the way he was clenching and unclenching his fists, a habit he often did when worried. Albus watched his hands for a while, unnoticed by Scorpius.

XXX

Scorpius jumped when Rose pulled out the chair across from him. He scolded himself a second later. He'd known that she was coming to join him in the library. This was their daily routine. He needed to calm down.

He didn't give Rose much of a greeting, which wasn't unusual when she showed up while he was in the middle of homework. They'd both work in silence, and then, once they had both completed enough that they were satisfied, they'd talk about books or something else (but usually books).

This time, Rose didn't pull her work from her bag. She watched Scorpius, and though he lasted longer than he would have thought he could with her eyes on him, he eventually had to glance up at her.

"What is it?" he asked.

He knew that he'd been startled when she showed up, but he didn't think his anxiety was that apparent.

Apparently, it was.

"What's wrong?"

Scorpius fidgeted with the edge of his parchment.

"Albus was acting strange earlier," he admitted, looking back down at his open book.

Once again, he could feel her eyes on him, and eventually, he had to look up at her. She was quiet, her thinking face on, not unlike how she often reacted before sharing with Scorpius some insight she'd come up with about a book.

"What do you mean 'weird'?" she asked.

Scorpius shrugged. He didn't know how to explain it. All he knew was that his and Albus's conversation had felt off; he couldn't place what it had been that made him feel that way, as much as that might have frustrated Rose.

"Something was just strange," he said quietly. "I know it was, but Albus said everything was fine. He wouldn't say anything else."

Rose chewed on her lip.

"I talked to him earlier," she admitted. "He was kind of weird then too, but I'm sure it's nothing serious."

Scorpius's heartbeat sped up as his mind flashed through possible reasons that Albus could be acting strangely, but nothing he came up with felt like an adequate explanation.

"What do you think is wrong?" he asked.

He clenched his teeth when she shrugged.

"I think it's going to be Albus who tells you that, but I wouldn't worry about it," she said. "It wasn't anything serious. You know how Albus gets sometimes. He's probably mad at the world."

Scorpius looked down at his Charms essay, the words blurring in front of his eyes.

Albus may have gotten frustrated frequently, but Scorpius always knew _why_ he was frustrated. That was how it worked, and it was unnerving that there would be something that Albus didn't think he could share.

"You're sure?"

His voice trembled.

"I'm sure," Rose replied. She reached out a hand and patted Scorpius's, which still gripped his quill, before withdrawing it. "Don't worry. I promise that if I thought something was wrong, I would tell you. I'd never keep it a secret."

He knew that she wouldn't, but the rational part of his brain wasn't the part controlling his anxiety.

Scorpius still said, "Thank you."

Rose let the subject drop, bending down to tug her school things out of her bag.

XXX

"Nice going."

Rose was behind him, but Albus knew the words were directed at him before he turned around. He saw her angry face and glanced around to make sure there was no one around to witness what was sure to be his shame.

"What did I do?" he asked.

His voice squeaked.

"I met with Scorpius in the library last night."

Albus nodded. He'd already known that much.

"I got there to find him doing his homework and looking sadder than I've seen him in ages. He went on to tell me about how strangely you acted the other day. Albus, you're making him think you're mad at him or something."

Albus averted his eyes to the floor beneath Rose's glare. Rose didn't need to rub what he'd in his face; it had already been bothering him. Not that he expected her to show him any pity.

"I didn't mean to."

He said it in a whisper, unable to make his voice any louder.

Rose walked towards him until they were close enough that they could carry on a conversation that wouldn't be easily overheard.

"What did you mean to do?"

Albus ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it.

"I don't know," Albus said. "I didn't want to act like anything was wrong, but when I saw him again, I couldn't stop thinking about what you'd said, and it… It got to me. I felt like my emotions were written on my face, and I needed to control it. But then I think I went too far the other way and came off as distant, and even though I knew that Scorpius realized something was up, I couldn't figure out what normal was anymore."

Rose sighed, shaking her head. She got too much satisfaction from believing she was the only rational person around. He braced himself for the unsolicited advice that he knew was coming.

"I told you that Scorpius doesn't have a clue that you like him," she scolded in a voice that sounded remarkably like Grandma Weasley.

"You believe that, but it's hard for _me_ to believe when I'm looking at him."

"We are talking about the same Scorpius, right? Al, he's going to believe that the two of you are just friends until you're blunt and tell him the truth. If he hasn't figured it out by now, then when would he?"

He knew she was right, but he couldn't make her understand what it had felt like for him in the moment. Albus had never felt more exposed than when Scorpius had been looking at him the day before.

A group of Ravenclaws came around a corner, too busy talking to each other to notice Albus and Rose. Albus found himself lowering his voice.

"I'll try to be normal, okay?"

Rose crossed her arms against her chest.

"Fine, but remember that being normal means staring at him adoringly. You'll come across as acting strange unless you stare at him all day."

Albus's frown deepened.

"You don't think everyone would notice that?"

Rose let out a laugh, shaking her head.

"That's the way you've been looking at Scorpius for years. Trust me, you'll draw more attention from everyone if you _stop_ looking at him like that."

It was enough to make Albus blush. He looked at the far wall, willing his cheeks to cool.

"I have to get to class," he declared before hurrying down the hall, giving Rose a quick wave over his shoulder when she called "goodbye" after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** **In this chapter, Scorpius is cornered by a group of boys, and they're as terrible to him as only a group of teenagers can be. If reading that bothers you, you can skip the first scene of the chapter.**

"Look at little Malfoy all by himself."

Scorpius looked up. Three Gryffindor boys who appeared to be sixth years were advancing towards him, leering. Scorpius froze, panic seeping through his bones. His eyes darted around the corridor in hope of finding an escape, but he wasn't able to formulate an escape plan before the boys had him surrounded. He lowered his head, staring at the shoes one of them was wearing, which seemed to fuel their laughter.

"What are you doing here all alone, Malfoy?" The boy who had spoken spit his name as if it were tainted. "Where's the Potter snake? You're usually following him around like a lost puppy."

"Not lost," one of the other boys said with a laugh. "He knows exactly who he belongs to."

Bile rose in Scorpius's throat.

"He-he had Divin...ation. I had Ancient Ru-runes."

Scorpius's stuttering made them laugh louder. One of the boys imitated it, repeating what Scorpius had said. Tears stung at Scorpius's eyes. He kept staring at the floor, not daring to look at them.

"Did you know," one of the boys taunted, "that your grandfather once attacked my dad?"

"No," Scorpius whispered.

The boys cackled.

"Maybe we can show you what that felt like," the same boy said, taking a step forward to invade any personal space that they had previously maintained.

Scorpius cowered before a new voice echoed down the hall.

"What are you doing?"

The question was asked in a dangerously low voice and one that Scorpius was able to identify as soon as his brain had had a moment to catch up: James. It wasn't until Scorpius caught sight of James's glare that he realized these boys had to be his roommates.

Scorpius felt a new wave of panic. While he knew that none of these boys were in James's closest group of friends, he had no idea whose side James would be inclined to take.

"James," one of the boys said cheerfully. He certainly thought of James as a friend. "We're teaching little Malfoy here a lesson."

James's frown deepened. He glanced between the boys and Scorpius several times, not saying a word. James had held some influence over them because none of them moved as they waited for James to do something.

He didn't though, causing one of the other boys to speak.

"You're welcome to join–"

"You think I want to help you attack my little brother's best friend?"

If there had been any doubt about how James felt before, that was gone. His expression was one of disgust and also, somehow, bewilderment.

"Why not?" one of the boys asked, managing another laugh. "The Malfoys hurt your family too. You can't tell me you don't want revenge."

He reached out to grip Scorpius's arm, causing Scorpius to flinch and whimper. This spurred the boys into more laughter and caused James to quickly close the space between him and the group to tug Scorpius out from their circle.

The other boys let him go without a fight. The one who had grabbed Scorpius held his hands up in surrender. Scorpius maneuvered himself so that he was standing half-hidden behind James.

"I don't want revenge," James said. "Least of all against Scorpius. Come on. Which one of you has seen him do something that calls for this?"

The boys were silent as they looked between each other. One of them scratched his head.

"It's more just that he's a Malfoy, isn't it?"

James scoffed. "You're getting dangerously close to judging people for the same thing blood purists do, Maximus."

Maximus's real name must have been a source of embarrassment because he flushed scarlet.

"I am not." He sounded angry with James for the first time. "They judge everyone by blood status, which is entirely different–"

"From judging someone based on the blood they got from their family?" James finished. "Not really."

James glared at the boys, daring them to look away first, as Scorpius continued to do his best to hide. He recited his favourite book passages to himself as a distraction.

"If you think about it," James continued, sounding like he was beginning to enjoy himself, "any of us who has any 'pure' blood ancestors are likely related to a Death Eater or two somehow. The Potters are related to the Blacks, which I also think relates them to the Malfoys in some complicated way that I've never bothered to learn."

"We are," Scorpius replied quietly. "Related somehow. It's distant though. Really, really distant."

In his panic, Scorpius was surprised that he'd managed to get any words out, but James was amused by Scorpius's insistence that their relations were distant, turning around to smirk at the blonde and taking his eyes off the others for the first time.

He looked at Scorpius for only a moment, an amused glint in his eyes, before he turned back around.

"See, boys. We are related, so if you want to go after Scorpius for being a Malfoy, then I suppose you'd have to attack me too."

"That's different," one of the boys said. "No matter what you think, we're not attacking based on blood. You were raised by good people. He was raised by a Death Eater."

The words, " _former_ Death Eater," echoed in Scorpius's mind, but he dared not speak them.

"Well," James said. A smile had appeared on his face. "That's ironic, that is. Because all of us here know that Scorpius would never fight you back, but if you'd done a fraction of what you were planning to do to Scorpius to me, the lot of you would be sitting in the hospital wing already. Who's actually a threat?"

The boys looked at each other. One of them stepped forward, going so far as to puff out his chest.

"It's not like we think he's dangerous." He laughed before letting them in on his supposed joke. "Like we said earlier, he's nothing more than a puppy."

Scorpius cringed, curling further into himself. James stiffened, his jaw locking into place.

"What?"

The boy continued laughing.

"Come on, James, you've seen it. He follows your brother around every day; he always looks helpless. He's a puppy."

While the boy continued to laugh, the others looked at each other uncomfortably. None of them said anything, and they refused to look James in the eyes.

"If we're comparing ourselves to animals," James crossed his arms against his chest, "I've always thought that you were rather like a hyena, Josh. What with that incessant laughing and your habit for going after easy prey instead of anyone who would put up a fight."

The laughing stopped. Josh glared at James while his friends began to back away, their eyes searching for an easy exit.

James focused his attention on the boys who had begun to escape.

"Yes, please do run off like cowards. We knew that's what you were anyway."

Shaking their heads, the boys refused to look at James. Maximus grabbed Josh's arm, tugging him away despite his continued protests. Scorpius didn't see the way Josh glared at him. By this point, he'd been able to draw himself into his own mind so much that he was hardly aware of his surroundings.

James turned towards him, watching him for a moment as he tried to decide what to do.

"Are you alright?"

The one question, directed right at him, was enough for Scorpius to realize that the boys were gone. He blinked slowly and looked around in confusion. His heart was racing; the panic wouldn't go away quickly.

"I'm okay," he said, though his voice trembled and betrayed him.

"I think we need to get you to Albus," James said. He reached out to touch Scorpius, probably to guide him, but Scorpius shrank back from the hand and James withdrew it immediately.

Scorpius glanced about the hall with a new sense of panic.

"Class," he said. "I'm late for class. I've never been late to class."

James raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Scorpius didn't look at him. All he could think about was that missing class was going to get him into more trouble, which was the last thing he needed.

"I'm sure your professor will understand," James said. "Which class is it?"

Scorpius shook his head. He couldn't shake the feeling that the Gryffindor boys would somehow be able to convince the professors of their innocence, which meant that, if Scorpius told his professor why he was late, it might get him into trouble.

"Ancient Runes," he said.

He liked Professor Safire, and he thought the professor liked him well enough, but other people could be much more convincing than Scorpius could. It would be the word of the other boys against his.

"Damn," James muttered. "I've never taken Ancient Runes. Not my thing. No matter." He set off in the direction of the Ancient Runes classroom, expecting Scorpius to follow him. "I can help you explain everything to Professor Safire all the same. Don't worry too much. He'll believe us. None of them take Ancient Runes either, so it's not like they've had any chances to get on his good side."

"Don't you have class?" Scorpius asked, jogging to catch up with James.

"Care of Magical Creatures," James said with a shrug. "But I've known Hagrid my entire life. Wouldn't be surprised if he gave me points for helping you."

That Scorpius didn't doubt. He'd become close to Hagrid himself since third year when Albus had convinced him to take Care of Magical Creatures. Before then, he'd managed to get out of every trip Albus and Rose had made to Hagrid's hut, not wanting to intrude. These days, Scorpius knew that Hagrid was rather fond of him.

"It's not that important really," James went on. "I'm not planning to do anything with the NEWT, and Hagrid knows that. It's why he was thrilled when I decided to stick with the class. Truth be told, it's easy, and I figured I'd need that with the rest of my course load. Neville thought I was mad when I told him I wanted to stick with it. Though I'm convinced that was because he was hoping I'd take Herbology instead."

They reached the Ancient Runes classroom to find Professor Safire in the midst of a lecture. Scorpius's heart hammered in his chest. He had no idea what he'd missed or if he'd be capable of learning it by himself.

James mistook Scorpius's expression for being too scared to enter the classroom, which, though not his most pressing concern in that second, wasn't inaccurate. Without discussing it with Scorpius, James stepped forward to knock against the doorframe. Scorpius shrunk out of sight of anyone who glanced out of the classroom doorway.

"Professor," James asked in a polite tone far different from the one he'd been using. "Could I speak to you for a minute? It's important."

"Yes, yes, I'm coming," Professor Safire said, sounding annoyed. His shoes clacked against the floor as he approached, and Scorpius's heart pounded faster the closer he got.

When Professor Safire made it to the corridor, his annoyance was replaced with surprise at the sight of Scorpius behind James.

"Mr Malfoy." Safire looked between James and Scorpius. "What is it?"

"I found three other Gryffindors surrounding him, Professor. I got them to leave him alone, but it made us late."

Professor Safire looked between them, eyes narrowed as he searched for a lie. Scorpius shifted from one foot to the other, looking anywhere but at his professor.

"Have you gone to the headmistress?" Professor Safire asked.

James shook his head. "I figured it would be better for us to go to class first."

"I suppose you know the names of the boys who did it."

James nodded.

"Very well," Professor Safire said, taking a step backward towards the classroom door. "Go ahead to class yourself, Mr Potter. After classes today, I want you both to go directly to Headmistress McGonagall."

Scorpius sucked in a breath. Professor McGonagall terrified him with her stern demeanor. He'd never had any problems with her, and he didn't wish to start any.

"Yes, Professor," Scorpius replied in unison with James.

Professor Safire motioned for Scorpius to proceed him into the classroom, and Scorpius scuttered towards the door, managing a quiet, "Thank you," as he passed James.

XXX

The conversation in Professor McGonagall's office was briefer than Scorpius had been expecting. He'd thought that he'd have to _convince_ her that three members of her former house had attacked him. He'd thought that it would be James's words that everything hinged on, but it hadn't been.

They'd stood across from Professor McGonagall's desk, Scorpius wishing the floor would swallow him up as McGonagall watched them over her glasses. He'd wanted James to speak, but James had watched him expectantly as well, causing Scorpius to break.

He'd stammered out his recollection of events, and before he could go on to say the rushed defences he'd come up with to get her to believe him, she'd given a short nod and said something about getting the boys to her office at once.

"They'll be punished immediately," she'd said, and that had been that. Scorpius had been so stunned that he hadn't realized he could leave until James nudged him towards the door.

His steps had, at first, felt light as they stepped away from the gargoyle, but then James had waved goodbye and Scorpius had realized that he no longer wished to be in the corridors alone.

With classes over for the day, few students were walking the corridors. Scorpius was well and truly alone as he headed for the library, taking as straight a path as he could. He focused on the floor and kept his head down. His heart didn't stop pounding in his chest until he had reached the library doors and hurried inside.

He caught sight of Madame Pince and felt the tension leave his body.

Rose was already at their usual table, books and parchment laid out in front of her.

Scorpius could feel himself shaking as he sat down. Rose looked up at him before he'd lowered himself into his chair.

"What's wrong?"

"Three Gryffindors cornered me on my way to Ancient Runes. I don't know what they would have done. James showed up before much happened."

Despite his attempt at nonchalance, Rose watched him carefully. While he in no way wanted to share the scariest thoughts he'd had about what could have happened, he had a feeling Rose got it. It was hard not to. You didn't get cornered in a hallway by people who hated you and expect anything but the worse.

"And you're okay?" she asked. "They didn't hurt you?"

"No. Like I said, James showed up."

Rose gave a short nod, though the expression on her face didn't change.

"I'm glad," she said.

Scorpius busied himself with pulling his things out of his bag. He didn't like the way Rose wouldn't stop frowning at him.

"It's over," he said. "McGonagall said they'd be punished. There's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just forget about it."

"Have you talked to Albus about it yet?"

His pause in flipping his book to the correct page was enough to tell her that he hadn't.

"Why not?" she asked.

Scorpius sighed.

"I had Ancient Runes and then went to McGonagall and then came to meet you. I haven't seen him yet."

"Usually you see him before you meet me," Rose said. "When was the last time you went this long without talking to each other?"

"The summer," Scorpius replied. "And it's only been a few hours. We've seen each other plenty today."

"During class when there's not much time for talking."

Scorpius shrugged. "What was there to talk about? The incident happened later. It's fine."

She watched him for a moment.

"Please tell him the truth later," she said before turning back to her work.

A small noise was the only indication that Scorpius had heard her request.

XXX

It was nothing but pure luck that Rose managed to intercept Albus before he went into the Great Hall. He was surprised to see her, especially when she cut off his path and kept him from getting to his dinner.

"What's going on?" he asked, glancing around as if an answer would appear.

When she didn't answer him quickly enough, he actually thought about the situation, glancing around again in search of Scorpius.

"What's wrong?" he asked, brow furrowed.

"Please tell me again that you didn't screw up the other day after I tell you what happened to Scorpius."

"Rose, you're freaking me out. What happened? Is he in the hospital wing?"

Rose shook her head. "No, but he could have been."

Albus stared at Rose with wide eyes.

"Three Gryffindors cornered him in a corridor on his way to Ancient Runes. They would have hurt him if James hadn't shown up and scared them off. He took Scorpius to class and went to McGonagall with him later. Then Scorpius came to tell me all of this in the library, which we both realize is weird, right? He should have gone to you."

Albus's fear had morphed into anger.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Still up in the library. I couldn't convince him to come to dinner."

Albus barely heard the end of Rose's words, already heading for the Grand Staircase.

The distance from the entrance hall to the library had never felt greater. Albus went as fast as his legs would carry him.

When he entered the library, he was breathing heavily enough that Madame Pince glared at him.

Scorpius was easy to find, sitting at the same table he could often be found at. Albus slid into the chair that Rose had likely occupied across from him.

"Albus," Scorpius said in surprise.

"Are you okay?" Albus asked, not bothering with a greeting. "I talked to Rose. She told me. I'm sorry that I wasn't there. They didn't hurt you, did they? Rose said that James got there before they did, but are you sure?"

"I'm fine," Scorpius replied in a choked voice. He was staring at Albus with his mouth slightly open.

Albus blushed a little at the gaze, but he didn't let it deflect from his questioning.

"You're sure?" he asked.

He was unable to keep himself from running his eyes over what parts of Scorpius he could see to check for injuries.

Scorpius squirmed underneath Albus's inspection, removing his arms from the table to cover as much of himself as he was able. Albus lifted his eyes to Scorpius's face instead.

"I'm fine," Scorpius repeated. "James really did get there before they'd done anything but insult me."

Albus's frown didn't abate.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I wish that I'd been there."

Scorpius shook his head, twirling his quill in his fingers.

"Don't apologize when it wasn't your fault. You should have thought that I could walk across the castle by myself."

Albus sat quietly for a few minutes, watching Scorpius continue to work on his essay.

"Are you staying?" Scorpius asked, startling Albus from his thoughts.

Albus nodded, and Scorpius frowned.

"Have you eaten dinner?"

"I know _you_ haven't," was Albus's reply.

Scorpius sighed.

"I wanted to finish this essay first."

"Finish it. We can go to the kitchens together once you're done," Albus promised.

Scorpius offered him a small smile before he returned his focus to his work. Albus smiled softly, too, as he watched him, his thoughts calmer than they'd been earlier in the day. He hadn't brought anything to do, thinking that he'd only be eating dinner before going back to the common room. That didn't bother him as much as it would have it if were anyone else he were with. He settled into his chair and watched Scorpius work, a smile gracing his lips that he couldn't bring himself to quell.

Neither boy said a word once Scorpius had finished his essay and was packing his things in his bag. Dinner was nearly over and the library nearly deserted. The two boys walked through the corridors side-by-side, encountering people here or there who were coming up from the Great Hall as they went down.

A number of the students they saw were Gryffindors on their way to the seventh floor. Anytime Scorpius saw red and gold on a student's uniform, he stiffened. Albus reached out to clasp Scorpius's hand in his own, offering what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze as another Gryffindor passed.

"I keep thinking one of them is going to confront me," Scorpius whispered once there were no other students in ear shot.

Albus's heart lurched at the idea of it. He wasn't sure he'd be capable of controlling himself if he were there for something like that.

"They won't," Albus replied. "I won't let them."

Scorpius offered him a smile, but it was strained.

"You know," he said, voice quieter than before, "they called me your puppy because I'm constantly following you around."

Albus tightened his grip on Scorpius's hand. Scorpius squeezed back, trying to comfort him. It only made him angrier at those boys.

"You don't ever _follow_ me," Albus said. "We go places _together_."

"They were kind of right though," Scorpius said. "Everyone can tell."

Albus stopped walking, and since he had ahold of Scorpius's hand, Scorpius had little choice but to stop as well. He watched Albus apprehensively, feeling nervous about the admission. Albus dropped the other boy's hand, placing both of his own on Scorpius's shoulders and drawing him closer.

"Scorpius, I promise you that you're not some annoying tagalong. That's so…" He let out a growl of frustration at not knowing the right thing to say. "It's not true. It's not true at all. It's so untrue that it's ridiculous. To be honest, puppies get annoying after about five minutes. I wouldn't want one around all the time. But I definitely want you around all the time, so I promise that you're nothing like a puppy."

The words had been a jumbled mess, and Scorpius looked at him as if he'd spoken poetry. His eyes shone with tears, and his smile was bigger than Albus had seen it in several days.

"I'm not a puppy," he stated firmly, and in any other context, Albus would have laughed. As it was, he smiled at Scorpius, letting go of his shoulders to take his hand again.

"You're not," Albus confirmed, squeezing his hand once more. He turned to keep walking towards the kitchens, suddenly conscious of the fact that they had had this conversation in a public corridor.

"Albus?"

Albus hummed in response.

"If I admitted that those Gryffindors frightened me and that I don't know if I can walk around the castle by myself right now without being scared, would that still mean I wasn't a puppy?"

The question sent tendrils of pain through Albus's heart.

"You still wouldn't be a puppy," he said, "and I'll make sure that someone's always with you. I'll walk with you to Ancient Runes and come get you afterwards. I don't care if I'm late. I'll take you to the library, dinner, anywhere you want me to take you."

At any other time, Scorpius would have insisted that his fears weren't enough for Albus to miss class over. Class was important. It was a testament to how freaked out he was that he would allow Albus to put him before school.

"Thank you," he muttered, squeezing Albus's hand.

"You don't have to thank me, Scorpius. You're my best friend. I don't like thinking that you're upset or that someone might hurt you. If anyone says something that shitty to you again, please remember that I need you around at least as much as you need me around."

A short nod was the only indication that Scorpius had heard him. He didn't glance in Albus's direction, too busy trying to blink away tears that he was embarrassed to have produced.

They walked the rest of the way to the kitchens in silence.

XXX

At breakfast the next morning, Albus opted to sit on the same side of the table as Scorpius instead of across from him, wanting to feel like he could intervene should anything happen.

He and Scorpius were halfway done with their breakfasts when James appeared in the Great Hall with Fred. Albus caught his eye immediately and swore that his brother relaxed when he saw Albus and Scorpius sitting together.

Despite thinking about what he'd do and say since before breakfast, Albus hesitated before motioning for James to approach them. James's eyes widened, and he turned to say something to Fred, who began following him towards the Slytherin table without questioning it.

"Good morning," James greeted, standing in front of one of the empty spaces across from Scorpius and Albus.

"Morning," Albus and Scorpius echoed.

Scorpius didn't appear nervous that James was in front of him, but he did shoot a tentative glance at Fred.

"Do you think we could talk in the entrance hall?" Albus asked James.

The request surprised James, but he nodded. He glanced at Fred, who had already begun to lower himself into the seat across from Scorpius.

Albus placed a hand on Scorpius's shoulder as he stood.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said.

Scorpius was nervous about this arrangement, looking at Albus with wide eyes, but he nodded.

As Albus walked away, he heard Fred start up a conversation about classes, a safe topic with Scorpius. For once, his cousin might have shown himself capable of sensitivity.

Once in the entrance hall, Albus led James over to the corner farthest from where the students were coming and going.

"What is it?" James asked, leaning against the stone wall.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for Scorpius the other day."

James's brow furrowed.

"A few things," he said. "One, I have no idea why you had to bring me out here just to thank me for that. Two, of course I saved Scorpius. What would you have expected me to do when I saw something like that?"

"I know you and Scorpius aren't friends, so you had to have done it because he's my friend. That's why I'm thanking you."

James shook his head.

"Not quite," he admitted. "I'd have stopped them even if I hadn't known the kid. Those guys used to be my friends, you know that? But Fred and I stopped talking to them in, like, fourth year because they said something I won't repeat about Roxanne. There's no love lost between us."

"Even if that's true, I'm thanking you."

"If I'd have saved you, I'd have been yelled at, but saving your best friend makes me a hero. Interesting how that works."

Albus didn't respond, and James clapped his hand to his shoulder, shooting Albus an infuriating smirk.

"Don't worry," he said. "I get it."

Albus sighed.

"Whatever," he said, stepping away from James's hand. "I'm going to go finish my breakfast."

He heard James give a small laugh before he followed. Right before they entered the hall, he said quietly, "Don't worry, Al. It'll be fine."


	5. Chapter 5

Albus hardly noticed Rose's surprised look when he sat down beside Scorpius in the library.

"Did you decide that you actually need to do homework today?" she asked.

"Shut up. I always do my work," Albus shot back, fumbling with something in his bag. "It isn't like this is the first time I've been in here."

"But he's not here to do work," Scorpius said, causing Albus to roll his eyes.

Rose raised an eyebrow as Albus tugged what looked like old, blank parchment from his bag.

"The Map?" she said in surprise.

Albus nodded.

"You're still looking for the room, aren't you? I know you turned it down in first year, but I figured you could use it. This thing hasn't been out of my trunk for more than a year."

He slid the Map across the table, watching Rose as she kept her eyes on it. After a moment, she looked up at Albus. Though she was frowning, Albus could see the eagerness in her eyes.

"If you're sure…"

"I am sure. Promise. I don't have anything to use it for."

Rose gave a short nod and slid the Map off the table, storing it in her bag.

"It'll come in handy," she told him.

XXX

Scorpius and Albus were sitting across from each other on Scorpius's bed, Scorpius recounting his Ancient Runes lesson, when two of their roommates came in. John headed straight for his bed, throwing his school bag down on the mattress before plopping down on it himself.

Samuel, however, paused, watching Scorpius and Albus from the doorway.

"What?" Albus asked, trying and failing to sound patient.

"You two have been spending time with that Gryffindor boy, Berry, haven't you?" Samuel accused, almost spitting Agustín's last name.

Albus glanced at Scorpius, seeing that he looked as wary as Albus felt.

"He sits with us in Transfiguration. I've never spoken to him outside of class."

In fact, Agustín had patched things up with his fellow Gryffindors and often left the classroom talking and laughing with them. Albus had been surprised when, in spite of that, he had continued taking a seat with Albus and Scorpius and talking to them during class when the opportunity presented itself.

He did say hello to them if they crossed paths around the castle, but Albus felt it would be safer to leave that piece of information out.

Samuel and John shared a look, Samuel looking pleased. John shrugged dismissively.

"I doubt they know," he said. "They're not ones to be up to date on the less than savoury history of certain Gryffindors."

"What do you mean?" Albus asked, too curious to ignore the bait.

"Agustín Berry's dad is a criminal," Samuel stated.

He stood as if he were a raised dais. No doubt this was the first time in a while that he'd had the opportunity to feel like an authority on a subject.

"A criminal?" Scorpius said in surprise.

Samuel smiled, and there was a cruel air to it that was unnerving.

"A criminal," he confirmed. "He was a Slytherin, but he married a Gryffindor who corrupted him. You can always expect those Gryffindor types to believe they're above the law. I'm sure she convinced him that he was too."

"Samuel," Albus said in a tired voice, "our house is known for producing Death Eaters."

Samuel glared.

"I'm talking about something entirely different."

"He is," John agreed. He'd sat up on his bed and finally seemed interested in the conversation. "Neither of us are going to lie and say that blood purity didn't use to be a Slytherin thing, and sure, lots of our house got caught up in it. That's different than going at it alone and breaking the law though. You have to have a high opinion of yourself for that."

Samuel moved so that he was standing in front of John's bed, blocking Albus and Scorpius's view of the other boy.

"He spent a few months in Azkaban. It was too short of a sentence if you ask me."

"What did he do?" Albus asked.

Samuel's grin widened.

"He was a thief."

"What kind of thief?" Scorpius asked.

"He stole from at least five pureblood families. It was a huge scandal fifteen years ago, not long before Agustín would have been born, I guess. He managed to get past the security spells they had up, and he took a lot too. When they caught him, they couldn't find any of the stuff he'd taken, but they had plenty of evidence that it was him. Even so, since they couldn't find the stuff to prove he'd taken everything the pureblood families knew was missing, he only got a few months."

"What if he didn't take everything the purebloods said was missing?" Albus asked. Scorpius looked at Albus in horror. "What if they said more was missing than actually was?"

Sure enough, Samuel's and John's eyes flashed.

"Are you saying the purebloods were liars?"

"I'm trying to think about every perspective. Did Agustín's dad admit to taking everything they said he did? Maybe that was all he took. I'm not saying that's a good thing, mind, but do you really think he managed to get away with more and hide it from the Ministry raiders who searched for it?"

Both boys watched Albus with something akin to fury. It was only then that Albus realized that one of the boy's families could have been affected by this and that, perhaps, his questioning was hitting a sore spot. Somehow, that didn't stop him.

"My dad's an Auror," Albus pointed out. "I hear about these sorts of things. There's no way he could have hidden a bunch of stuff without being found out. Not unless he was a magical genius."

Samuel's nose turned up in disgust. Albus was expecting a response, but the boy turned away from them, heading back to the common room. John watched him retreat for a moment and then, with a sigh, turned to follow him. Neither of the boys said anything as they left. As soon as the door had closed behind John, Scorpius let out a long sigh of relief.

"What were you doing?" he demanded from Albus.

"I couldn't sit there and listen to that story without asking questions. I bet my dad would tell me something different if I asked what had happened. Fifteen years ago. He would have already been an Auror then. He probably worked that case."

"Maybe," Scorpius agreed. "But you were never going to convince them of it. Wouldn't it have been easier not to say anything? They're probably writing angry letters to their parents about it right now."

"Who cares?" Albus laid back against the pillows of his bed. "I promise it'll be fine. It seemed wrong to let them insult one of the only Gryffindors that's tried to be friends with us."

"I suppose you're right," Scorpius said.

Despite his agreement, he kept throwing glances towards the door as if Samuel and John would storm through and start throwing hexes at them.

"Some of it's probably true though," Scorpius said after a few minutes.

Albus had been close to dozing off, and it took him longer than usual to work out what Scorpius had said. He opened his eyes, turning his head to look at his friend.

"Yeah, I doubt they made it up entirely," he said. "Agustín's dad probably did steal something, and he probably did go to Azkaban for it. But I imagine if someone had managed to steal massive amounts of stuff from multiple pureblood families that I would have heard about it at some point, and I can't remember anything like that."

Scorpius shook his head.

"I can't either, and it's something Grandfather Malfoy would have mentioned if it had happened like that. He'd love a good excuse to rant about Gryffindor thieves."

Albus stared at the canvas covering of his bed.

"I wish we knew the truth," he said. "I can't imagine asking Agustín. What would we even ask? 'Hey. I heard your dad went to Azkaban. Can we talk about it?' That's a great way for him to never speak to us again."

"Does it matter what happened? No matter what, it was Agustín's dad, not Agustín, who did it. Agustín's been nice to us, so I don't care what his dad did. It's not like I have a right to judge."

Albus sat up, so they could talk easier.

"It doesn't matter," he agreed. "No one should be punished for stuff their parents did."

Scorpius looked up from his bedsheets, a hesitant smile on his face.

XXX

A week later, Scorpius was still nervous around Samuel, so he'd convinced Albus to spend time in the common room instead of their dorm. Usually, the hectic nature of the room was too much for Scorpius to relax in, but he took comfort in the fact that, if Samuel did confront them, there would be plenty of witnesses around.

After several days of having to adjust to the new routine, Scorpius had even admitted to Albus that it wasn't as bad as he had thought it was. Though he could never get as much reading done with the noise, he found himself talking more with Albus than he would if he were more invested in his book.

"And look here." Scorpius held his book up, though he waved it around too much for Albus to read it, and pointed towards a passage. "Rossi says that it's highly likely, in this day and age, that magic has a genetic component, even if most magic folk won't take it seriously. He says there are plenty of genes that Muggles have identified but don't know the function of. He thinks the Ministry should spend money on magical research into those genes to find out if any of them are 'magic genes'."

Albus had to admit that this was one of the more fascinating books that Scorpius had told him about, but he was finding himself thoroughly distracted by a Slytherin third year, Javan Martel, who was sitting in an armchair several feet away and kept looking at them. Scorpius was oblivious to the attention even though Albus was sure that it was Scorpius who Javan's eyes kept falling onto. Albus couldn't help but glare, but Javan was oblivious to Albus's presence.

"Albus," Scorpius said in a sing-song voice, nudging Albus's arm when he didn't respond to a question.

"Sorry. What was it?"

Scorpius wasn't the least bit concerned that Albus hadn't been paying that close of attention.

"I said that, if there was a magic gene, Muggles might discover it one day. What if that's how they find out about us? Imagine. It would be a scientific reason for magic, like a connection between the Muggle and magical worlds. Muggles manipulate genetics, right? What if they managed to give themselves magic?"

A shiver ran down Albus's spine at the thought, but Scorpius's expression was nothing but curious as he stared at Albus. He sometimes did that, look to Albus as if he could explain all sorts of things about the Muggle world despite never having lived in it, all because he had Muggleborn relatives.

"I don't think so," Albus said, "at least not–"

He looked up, startled, as someone appeared beside them. He'd managed to pull his attention away from Javan for less than a minute and that was when the boy had decided to make his approach.

His eyes were only on Scorpius. Albus couldn't decide if he was being purposefully ignored or if he had managed to blend into the chair.

"Hello."

There was a tremor of nervousness in Javan's voice, but he managed to smile at Scorpius.

Scorpius looked at Javan for a moment but then turned to Albus, expecting him to be the one to greet the other boy. Javan turned to look at him when Scorpius did. His eyes met Albus's for a second before they snapped back to Scorpius.

"Hi," Albus said shortly.

He got little more than a nod in response.

None of them said anything for an awkwardly long period of time. Javan didn't seem to have planned out much more than his greeting, and Scorpius never had anything to say to someone unless he knew them or a stranger brought up a topic he enjoyed discussing.

Albus wasn't keen on helping Javan out of the awkward moment he had walked into. He leaned back in his armchair, tilting his head to watch the third year as he shifted from foot to foot. Though he tried to be discreet about it, Albus sized the boy up.

"So, uh…" Javan struggled to come up with something to say. "I was sitting over there," he pointed towards the chair he had vacated, "and was wondering what you were talking about."

Again, he directed this question towards Scorpius, and again, Scorpius looked towards Albus. If he noticed that Javan was only looking at him, he didn't let on, and judging by the fact that his gaze was only flicking between his book and Albus, it was unlikely that he'd noticed.

For a moment, Albus thought he might let the silence go on until Javan walked away in disappointment, but as Scorpius looked at him with pleading eyes, Albus knew that he had to intervene.

"Scorpius was telling me about genetics and magic."

"Genetics?" Javan said the unfamiliar word slowly, being careful of his pronunciation.

Javan's apparent interest prompted Scorpius to speak with enthusiasm.

"It's how we inherit stuff from our parents."

He was looking at Javan for the first time, and Javan's smile became authentic.

"We have these things called genes in our cells. Each of us has a set from both of our parents, the same number of each. They tell our body how to come together and stuff. They make us, us. The Muggles discovered them."

Javan was beyond confused. Albus could detect the haze of uncertainty in his eyes; he didn't seem to put much stock in Muggle science because he'd grown wary as soon as Scorpius had mentioned that Muggles were the discoverers of genes. He nodded along, though, and continued to smile as Scorpius spoke.

"This," Scorpius held up his book, "is written by a wizard who thinks that we must inherit magic through genetics as well. I've only just started it—I'm three chapters in—but he lays out a way that we could search for a magic gene and find it before the Muggles do. It also discusses whether or not we should let Muggles find the magic gene if it exists. I'm really looking forward to that chapter."

Albus watched Javan. He was always worried that others would crush Scorpius's excitement. People sometimes did when they didn't understand what he was saying or why he was enthusiastic about a certain topic.

"That sounds fascinating," Javan said.

His enthusiasm sounded so fake to Albus's ears, only put on to keep him in Scorpius's good graces, that Albus couldn't help but roll his eyes—Javan wasn't looking at him anyway.

"It is," Scorpius replied, moving forward in his chair to better angle his book towards Javan.

He began flipping through the pages. Albus knew what was coming, and he smirked as Javan began to glance around the room. He had remained standing, though there was an empty chair next to Scorpius. If we was waiting for an invitation to sit down, then he was going to be out of luck.

"Look here."

Scorpius pointed at some words on the page, but the book was too far from Javan's face for the boy to make out what it said.

"The author has outlined all the genes that Muggles have found but don't know the use for. A magic gene could be any one of them. Did you know that Muggles have mapped the entire human genome? The entire thing, and it's only just in DNA. It fits inside a cell."

Albus felt a strange combination of fondness for Scorpius and amusement at Javan's look of complete and utter bewilderment. He glanced between the two boys, alternating between warm smiles and feeling like he was going to laugh.

Javan wasn't concealing his long looks towards his friends as Scorpius continued describing, at length, the chapters of the book he had managed to read so far.

"That really is fascinating," Javan said, cutting Scorpius off mid-sentence though he'd clearly done his best to find a natural place to interrupt. "I'm sorry that I can't stay and learn more about it, Scorpius."

Scorpius glanced up at him. Though he had stopped speaking when Javan had interrupted him, he was still flipping through the pages and continuing his thoughts in his own head.

"Um."

Javan hesitated, wringing his hands together.

"I was wondering… You know, the first Hogsmeade trip of the year is in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure what you're planning to do for it, but this will be my first trip. I was wondering if you'd be interested in showing me around the village."

Scorpius looked at him, brow creasing in confusion. He looked at Albus.

"Are we going to Hogsmeade this time?" he asked.

Albus shrugged and gave it a few seconds before he said anything that could be interpreted as an answer to Javan's question, letting the boy struggle.

"We hadn't talked about it yet," Albus said, "but I bet Rose will convince us to go like she usually does."

"Right I'm sure Rose wouldn't care if you came," he said to Javan. "She brings her other friends along sometimes too."

"That's," Javan shifted uneasily on his feet before finishing, "great."

He offered a half wave, this time even in Albus's direction.

"See you guys later," he said over his shoulder as he ambled off towards his friends.

Albus watched him go.

"That was odd," Scorpius said.

In contrast to before, Scorpius's attention was on Javan more than the book lying open in his lap.

"He's never talked to us before. Why does he want us to show him around Hogsmeade? It's easy enough to find everything. You'd think he'd want to go with his friends."

"He likes you," Albus stated simply, trying to keep his jealousy out of his voice. "He was trying to ask you to Hogsmeade. Like, on a date."

Scorpius's expression didn't change much, but Albus could see his surprise in the way he stiffened.

"Likes me? Date?" Scorpius repeated. "But he's never even talked to me. How can you like someone without having talked to them?"

"Beats me, but he definitely does like you. He kept looking at you before he came over here. You, not me."

Scorpius squirmed in his seat.

"Kept looking at me," he muttered under his breath. Then, louder, he said, "If you're right, then I didn't realize at all."

"You were the only one he looked at while he was over here. He acted like I didn't exist."

Scorpius looked at him, blinking.

"Oh."

He was silent for a moment, staring down at his book.

"So you're saying that he was asking me on a date?"

Scorpius sounded amazed, and Albus felt a fresh twinge of jealousy in his stomach.

"Yes."

When Scorpius glanced at Javan again, it was with unease in his eyes.

"I feel a little bad," he admitted. "I would have been nice or...something if I'd realized."

"If you want to go to Hogsmeade with him, on a date, I can go get him or tell him for you or whatever you'd like me to do. Your chance isn't ruined."

Scorpius didn't give him an answer, at least not at first. He watched Albus, uncertainty in his eyes. Slowly, he shook his head.

"I don't want to go to Hogsmeade with him," he said. "That's the first time I've spoken to him, and while he was nice enough, I don't think we'd have much to talk about."

Albus tried to make his smile a gentle, encouraging one though a large, mad one threatened to break through. He glanced at Javan. The boy was no longer looking towards them; he had gotten caught up with his friends.

"You're sure?" Albus pressed. "Because I really could–"

"I'm sure," Scorpius said.

He glanced at Javan, shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and looked away.

"I don't want to go on a date with Javan. Honestly, I don't want him to come to Hogsmeade with us. You know how nervous I get around people I don't know well."

Albus gave a quick nod of the head, letting the subject drop.

"So," he said slowly, "magical genetics?"

Scorpius face broke into another smile, and he waved the book in front of Albus as he began telling him more about what he had read.


	6. Chapter 6

"Relax," Albus told Scorpius, laying his hand on his arm. "He's not in here."

Scorpius knew as much. He kept glancing at the door of the Three Broomsticks every five seconds before scanning the entire room to check if Javan could have come in unnoticed.

"I know," Scorpius said, "but that doesn't mean that he won't come in before we leave. What am I supposed to do if he does?"

Albus watched Scorpius, taking in the signs of anxiety that were written on Scorpius's face and in his posture. His mug shook each time he went to take a drink, and his shoulders were rigid, his eyes wide.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back up to the castle?" Albus asked, lowering his voice and leaning in closer to avoid being overheard. "I really don't mind."

Scorpius's eyes found their way back to Albus, and he shifted in his seat. Albus had known since this morning that Scorpius's anxiety over being confronted with Javan had made him not want to go to Hogsmeade in the first place, but he was being stubborn and insisting on staying for Albus's sake.

"Really, Scorpius," Albus continued, "I don't mind. We can go to the common room or the library. Whatever you want."

"You're sure?" Scorpius asked. "I don't want to make you miss anything. We could find Rose. You could hang out with her. I don't mind going to the castle by myself if you have someone else to spend time with."

"Honestly, I don't want to walk around Hogsmeade with Rose and her friends who don't like me, and there's nothing I want to buy. I've already gotten Lily's birthday present. I'm being serious when I say that I'm fine with going back up to school."

Scorpius sighed in relief, though his shoulders were still tense as his eyes flicked to the door as someone came in. It was two Hufflepuff girls.

"Okay." Scorpius stood from his seat. "Okay. Let's go."

As soon as they were on the path back up to the castle, a weight lifted from Scorpius's shoulders and there was a new bounce in his step. Albus grinned. They would have a far more enjoyable day in the castle.

XXX

Enough time had passed that Scorpius had almost been able to forget about the Gryffindor bullies who had cornered him in the corridor. That was, until similar situations started happening.

Not to Scorpius or to Albus but to other Slytherins. It wasn't always the same boys as before, though there seemed to be a group within Gryffindor that embraced the bullying, cheering each other on. They went after Slytherins indiscriminately. Some fifth years going after a first year was a particularly egregious incident that echoed through the school.

At first, the Gryffindors were always caught and given punishments, but it didn't take long for the them to grow smarter and more difficult to catch.

It was getting nasty before a first year wound up unconscious in the hospital wing, but that was the final straw for McGonagall.

The Slytherin table held fewer students than the other tables, with a remarkable number choosing to skip meals if it meant not seeing any Gryffindors. Albus had had to work hard to get Scorpius to come with him on this particular evening, and the two boys sat close together as they ate, casting nervous glances towards the Gryffindor table, though no one had tried anything in the Great Hall.

Towards the end of dinner, before students began filtering out to their common rooms, McGonagall stood. A hush fell over the students, with the Gryffindors looking as nervous as many of the Slytherins. Even the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws gave McGonagall their undivided attention.

"As you know," the headmistress began, her voice echoing against the walls and magnifying her thinly concealed anger, "most announcements of change in school policy are carried out through postings on the notice boards present in each of your common rooms. Today, though, I am notifying you of a policy change that I feel is best given to you straight from me.

"For the past few weeks, there has been an increase in fighting in the corridors. Your professors and I have done our best to punish those found responsible, but that is becoming increasingly difficult.

"Because of this, we have come to the decision that changes are needed to keep the school safe. You will notice that patrols have increased, with prefects taking on increased responsibilities despite their already heavy course loads.

"New curfews will be enacted immediately following dinner. During classes, you will be grouped by year and house and required to stay together while in the corridors. There will be little leniency for any groups who appear late or without certain members of their group. New schedules will be presented to you tomorrow morning. All sixth and seventh years with free periods will spend that time in the library under the watchful eye of Madame Pince.

"At the end of the school day, you will travel together to your common rooms and be checked in by your Head of House. Each House will travel to dinner together, as well as breakfast the next morning. You will be unable to leave the common room during the evening and night except for dinner. The house entrances will be sealed from the outside. Anyone who needs to leave must be granted special permission, which will be worked out with the appropriate professors."

If a quill had been dropped, the sound would have echoed throughout the hall. McGonagall paused, her eyes inspecting the students. Though they stayed on no one for long, it felt like she was leveling each individual with a sharp, warning look, one that dared them to defy her. She paused on the Gryffindor table, her own former house, looking up and down the length of it twice before she continued.

"I do not feel that I should have to address the seriousness of this situation. Hogwarts has faced numerous challenges in its long, storied history, but I will not let my tenure as headmistress be one that is known for violence. I will not stand for inappropriate behavior born from little more than childish, misplaced anger. You will do better or face expulsion."

Whispering began throughout the hall, especially at the Gryffindor table. A few students side-eyed McGonagall, though many were too scared to look in her direction.

"This is not a joke," McGonagall continued, "and expulsion is not a threat I make lightly, but I will not refrain from using it when I believe it necessary. The next student to attack anyone on castle grounds will be given no leniency."

Scorpius had scooted closer to Albus at some point in McGonagall's speech, and his arm pressed against the other boy's. His eyes were on the Gryffindor table.

"You don't think they'll retaliate, do you?" he whispered.

"No. Not with the new rules. It's too risky."

He couldn't yet tell if he believed that or not, but it calmed Scorpius down. He looked away from the Gryffindors and back towards McGonagall, who was still on her feet though she was giving them time to process her words.

Once she'd deemed that enough was enough, she hit her spoon against her glass. It was enough to achieve instant silence.

"Dinner will come to a close in ten minutes. Finish your meals in that time. The new rules begin tonight. You will be heading to your common rooms with your houses at the hour. Prefects have been given instructions that must be followed by all students. Do not start this off on the wrong foot."

A few students wolfed down food at remarkable rates. Others pushed their plates away, either finished or unable to eat after what they had heard. Scorpius was one of the latter.

"I don't know if I feel safer or not," he admitted.

Albus reached out and placed his hand on Scorpius's forearm, gripping it loosely.

"I get what you mean, but at least we don't have to walk around alone anymore. Safety in numbers?"

Scorpius tried to offer him a smile as he nodded his head.

XXX

The day after McGonagall's announcement, Albus and Scorpius had Transfiguration with the Gryffindors, and there was an anticipation buzzing amongst the Slytherins as they travelled through the corridors as a pack.

Albus and Scorpius were at the back of the group, but they were careful to stay close, wanting neither punishment nor hexing because they had trailed too far.

"You think they'll say anything?" someone asked from the front of the group. "Toss any insults?"

There were a handful of differing answers, none quite distinct as their housemates talked over each other. Some thought things wouldn't change from before. Others thought the Gryffindors would be quieter. Others thought the taunting would be more open.

It was, perhaps, to their benefit that Transfiguration was taught by their Head of House. None of them could claim unfair bias. That assured many of their classmates in a way that none of McGonagall's rules had.

"Do you think Agustín will sit with us?" Scorpius asked, making sure to keep his voice quiet enough that no one else would hear him.

"I hadn't thought about it," Albus admitted. "He kept sitting with us once the bullying started, so maybe he will."

"But haven't you heard what everyone's saying?"

He had, but he let Scorpius tell him anyway.

"The Gryffindors are angry because they think they're being unfairly singled out. Even if Agustín doesn't think so, most of his house does. They'll pressure him not to sit with us."

"That doesn't mean that he won't."

"Why would he keep sitting by us if it meant his friends getting angry with him?"

"Some people don't care about pissing off their friends, or he might be like Rose and think that he's helping some cause greater than himself. Who knows."

Scorpius looked sceptical, but he didn't say anything as they reached the Transfiguration classroom.

The Gryffindors had yet to arrive. The Slytherins settled into their usual seats, most of them relaxing now that they'd made it to their destination. Professor Ingham sat at his desk, not paying attention to them but acting as a tempering presence all the same. No Gryffindor had so far attempted anything when a professor was around.

When the Gryffindors did show up, it was in a loud fury of red and gold. They hurried into the room and to their seats, ignoring the other students in the classroom. Albus could feel how stiff Scorpius was beside him as he craned his neck to watch for Agustín.

Albus heard Scorpius's quick gasp a split second before Agustín settled into the seat beside him.

"Good morning," Agustín greeted them, the same smile on his face as always.

"Hi," Scorpius replied loudly, a large smile on his face as he leaned past Albus to greet Agustín.

"Good morning," Albus said.

He looked past Agustín at the Gryffindors, taking in the division of the classroom that was complete except for their table.

"I thought you'd sit with the other Gryffindors today."

Agustín's smile fell. He busied himself with tugging his book, quill, and parchment out of his bag.

"Yeah, that was intense last night, wasn't it?"

He sat his book on the desk and paused, head tilting to the side.

"Actually, things have been intense for a while. Last night was just the latest development."

Albus glanced towards the front of the classroom and saw everyone else lost in their own conversations.

"Will they not get back at you for talking to us?"

Agustín smiled with a hint of regret.

"Nah," he said, brushing off Albus's concern. "They won't retaliate except by making fun of me with stupid jokes that they think are hilarious for some reason. It would be worse if I was talking to any Slytherins but the two of you."

"That doesn't comfort me," Albus said.

"Me either," Scorpius whispered low enough that Agustín didn't hear him.

"I don't think it should."

Agustín glanced at his friends, conflict in his eyes.

"It really is only a small group who's doing the bullying, but there are a good number more who think it's funny. I'm one of the few who's said anything about stopping it."

It wasn't said to be self-righteous. Agustín sounded sad in a way that Albus couldn't understand. They barely spoke outside of Transfiguration, and Agustín didn't seem to have any other Slytherin friends.

Professor Ingham began class, forcing their conversation to come to an end. Later, as Agustín was throwing his bag over his shoulder, he paused.

"Have a nice Christmas," he told them.

Albus and Scorpius echoed him, waving as he hurried out of the classroom after his housemates.

"That wasn't so bad," Albus said, throwing his quill in a pocket of his bag.

The Slytherins were keener on taking their time than the Gryffindors.

When Scorpius spoke, he sounded amazed.

"It wasn't."

Albus let out a short laugh, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"Come on," he said, nudging Scorpius's arm. "Everyone's gathering by the door."

Scorpius gave a short nod, hurrying after him to meet up with their housemates.


	7. Chapter 7

Scorpius was more jittery than normal on the train.

"It'll be fine," Albus said for the millionth time. "Really. You already know me and Rose and James, Lily. I know I have Harry Potter for a dad, but he's not that intimidating once you hear him try to make a joke."

"Albus is right, Scorpius."

Rose glanced up from her book. It was the first acknowledgment she'd given that she could hear their conversation for the past hour.

"No one could dislike you once they talk to you."

Scorpius nodded, though he looked unconvinced. He stared out the window, waiting for King's Cross to appear as London flashed by. When it did, he sprung to his feet.

"We're here!" he exclaimed.

Rose struggled to contain her giggling. Even Albus couldn't help but grin.

"We are," he said, standing up at a reasonable speed as the train came to a stop.

The platform outside was as packed as it usually was. By now, their parents had figured out which carriage they rode in each trip, so they were visible through the window. Scorpius stared in their direction with wide eyes. Albus sighed and stepped forward to clap Scorpius on the shoulder, drawing his attention away.

"You need your trunk, Scorpius."

It took a moment for Scorpius's brain to work through what Albus had told him. When it did, he nodded and turned to grab his trunk from the shelf above his seat.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, his face turned away from the others. "I wish I wasn't nervous. It's not your family. It's the first time I won't spend all of the holidays at home, so I guess it feels rather odd to me."

"As it would for anyone," Rose said.

Her stance as she stood in the doorway was one of impatience, with her arms crossed and foot tapping, but her words were said kindly.

"I'm amazed that you agreed to go to the Potters."

Scorpius's face grew dark. Albus stepped in front of Scorpius so that he hid Rose from view and gripped both of his friend's shoulders.

"Remember," he said, causing Scorpius to look at him, "it's not for the whole holiday. You'll be back at Malfoy Manor before Christmas."

Scorpius gave him a half-hearted smile and a nod. He picked up his trunk with determination, gesturing for Albus to lead the way off the train. Rose had disappeared while Albus was speaking to Scorpius, her impatience getting the better of her.

"It's not that I don't want to go to your house," Scorpius said as they fought their way through the students that remained on the train. "It's my dad that's bothering me. I hate thinking about him alone so close to Christmas, even if Grandmother is there."

Albus wished he could pause to look at Scorpius without blocking the flow of traffic, but he had to settle for a quick glance and a grin.

"I know it is," he said. "But he'll be happy to see you at Christmas, and then you'll get to spend loads of time with him before we go back."

"Thanks, Albus," Scorpius whispered, his voice almost lost in the noise of the platform that they'd descended upon.

Albus turned around to make sure that Scorpius was still with him, keeping him close as he maneuvered the short distance to his family. Rose and Lily had already joined his parents, aunt, and uncle.

Ginny spotted them first, her eyes lighting up as she rushed forward and pulled Albus into an embrace.

"Al!" she exclaimed. "Oh, it's good to see you."

She continued fussing over him, while Harry hovered and offered a smile to Scorpius, who had no idea what to do with himself.

"How are you, Scorpius?" Harry asked.

Scorpius smiled back, not quite able to look at Harry's face.

"I'm good, Mr Potter. Thanks for asking."

Before either of them could say anything more, Ginny had finished greeting Albus and was standing in front of Scorpius, beaming down at him.

"Scorpius, how are you?" she asked, reaching out, after the slightest moment of hesitation, to place both of her hands on his shoulders.

Scorpius found it somewhat easier to look at her than it had been Harry. He smiled again and said, "I'm good, Mrs Potter. Thanks for asking."

Ginny watched him for a second as if deciding what the best course of action would be and then pulled him in for a hug. Scorpius stiffened at first, not having expected such a greeting, but after a moment, he reminded himself to hug her back. He didn't completely relax, but he was grinning nervously as Ginny pulled away, and she, thankfully, didn't continue to fuss over him as she had done Albus.

James had the good fortune of appearing through a space in the crowd just as Ginny was backing away from Scorpius. He was immediately caught up in his mother's arms, and as soon as he was done hugging Albus, Harry moved to follow her.

Albus took a step towards Scorpius, allowing their arms to brush.

"It's not too bad so far, is it?"

"Your mum hugged me," Scorpius said as if Albus hadn't seen.

"Yeah, I know." Albus laughed. "She likes to do that."

"But," Scorpius stumbled over his words, "she hardly even knows me."

Albus smiled, throwing an arm over Scorpius's shoulders and beginning to lead him closer to his family.

"You're my best friend," he said. "She knows you make me happy, so that means that she automatically likes you. Congratulations, you're in the good graces of Ginny Potter. Her bad graces are not a good place to be. You'll see what I mean the first time James gets in trouble. It won't take long."

XXX

It _didn't_ take long. It took an hour, give or take a few minutes before Ginny was shouting for James in Grimmauld Place. He'd "accidentally" dropped a dung bomb in the stairwell not far from his parents' room, and Ginny's tirade was carried out during a coughing fit.

Much of the few days that followed were peaceful, with James getting in trouble a little less than normal. It was enough that his parents were growing suspicious.

Lily had taken the new, if temporary, addition to their household as her entertainment for the holidays.

"Lily," Albus complained with a groan. "You've got to stop coming in here without knocking."

She ignored him, settling herself onto his bed. She hardly glanced at him, looking instead at Scorpius, who was the real reason she suddenly wanted to visit Albus's room at all hours of the day.

"I have a game we can play," she declared.

"Nothing you'll want to play will actually be fun." Albus ignored her glare. "It'll be one of those stupid sleepover games that you learned at school."

"If you're talking about the Muggle game Never Have I Ever that Gina taught me, that's not what this is. Though that's a fun game too," she added under her breath.

She pulled out a deck of cards that held a logo that Albus recognized immediately.

"No," he declared. "Absolutely not."

"What is it?" Scorpius asked.

The cards were a sort that were unfamiliar to him. They certainly weren't Exploding Snap.

"A product of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," Lily declared. "Uncle Ron made me an official game tester. Paid in games, sweets, and the occasional sickle or two."

Albus eyed the cards with wariness.

"And how much have they already been tested?" he asked.

"I have no idea what Uncle Ron did with them before he gave them to me."

She scoffed at Albus's hesitation.

"Relax. They won't do anything dangerous. It's not that kind of game."

"Then what kind of game is it?" he asked Lily.

This was the question she had been waiting for. Her face broke into a wide smile, and she leaned forward, hastily gathering up the cards that she had laid on the bed to better show them to the boys.

"Uncle Ron said he got the idea from a Muggle game–"

"So it is a Muggle game."

Lily glared.

"Not really," she insisted. "Uncle Ron said he got the idea from a Muggle game called Truth or Dare that Aunt Hermione mentioned to him."

"Truth or Dare?" Scorpius repeated.

He made it sound like it were the name of some terrifying creature.

Lily hummed in acknowledgement.

"It's a game where each person has to choose truth or dare, and then another player makes them answer one question truthfully or do a dare."

"That sounds like a rubbish game," Albus complained.

Though Muggles undoubtedly retained the ability to lie during such a game, he'd already guessed what the enchantments on Uncle Ron's game entailed.

"We're not going to play some game where we just have to tell the truth or do something stupid."

Lily ignored him, continuing with an explanation of the rules.

"Some of the cards are truth and some of them are dare, but they're all enchanted. Once you draw a truth card, you have to answer the question. Uncle Ron said it should only make you answer that one question, but he wants me to make sure that it doesn't force anyone to start blabbing all their secrets. That's not quite the point of the game."

"Lily, no," Albus said.

The last thing he needed was admitting to everything in front of not only Scorpius but his little sister.

"I'm not playing some game that may backfire and force me to tell my entire life's story."

"Entire life's story?"

She threw her head back in a laugh.

"Don't worry, Al. You can't have done anything that interesting. Me and Scorpius would ignore you telling us about the time you decided to eat the ham at dinner instead of the chicken."

He bit his tongue. Scorpius was twisting the sleeves of his jumper around in his hand as he watched them.

"Scorp," Albus said gently, "we don't have to play. Trust me, I don't want to."

The blonde boy glanced at Lily, looking as intimidated by her as he had been by Rose in the early days of their friendship, but when he looked at Albus again, he had found resolve.

"I don't want to play," he admitted. "The dare cards, do they make you do things?"

Though the question was meant for Lily, Scorpius didn't look at her as he asked it. He was staring warily at the cards as if they might randomly explode much like in Exploding Snap.

"Yep," Lily replied, popping her 'p'.

Though Scorpius had guessed this, his eyes widened at the thought of it. Albus felt his own stomach tighten.

"That sounds scarily like the Imperius," he pointed out. "Is it legal to do something like that?"

"Uncle Ron said it was different. The card's not controlling you. What it does is gradually make you itch more and more until it's uncontrollable. He said it would take either doing the task or going to St Mongo's for the itching to go away."

"That sounds very unpleasant," Scorpius muttered.

Lily looked at him as if he were stupid.

"That's why you do the task," she pointed out. "None of them are 'commit murder' or anything."

"Then what are the tasks?" Albus asked.

Lily shrugged. She pulled one of the cards off the deck that had "DARE" written across the back. When she flipped it around and held it in front of them, they could see that the other side was blank aside from a purple background design and a golden frame around the edges.

"The questions and dares are invisible until you draw the card in the game. Uncle Ron says there are more options than there are cards too, so sometimes a card is one thing and sometimes it's another."

She slid the card back and unnecessarily shuffled the deck. Scorpius and Albus watched the cards as she did so, feeling an intense distrust towards them. When Lily looked back up and saw their faces, she rolled her eyes.

"It won't be bad. It's a game. It's meant to be fun."

"Who wants to go into a game with no idea what sort of stupid stuff they're going to have to do?" Albus asked. "I don't want to wind up at St. Mongo's because those cards made me jump off the roof or something."

"Please, Al, that wouldn't even be fun to watch. They're much more likely to make you sing along to Celestina Warbeck."

"That's not comforting."

"Nothing is for you," she complained, looking truly put out by that fact.

She began gathering up the cards, slipping them back into the box they'd been packaged in.

"I'll go convince James to play with me. Even though it won't be nearly as fun with only two people."

She shot them one last look that managed to be both scolding and hopeful before she slipped out of the bedroom in the direction of James's room.

XXX

Scorpius gasped the second he stepped out of the fireplace and into the living room of the Burrow. Travelling by floo was always an overwhelming experience, with so much rushing by you at such quick speeds; Scorpius was always thankful when it was over. But tumbling into the Burrow felt an awful lot like not leaving the floo at all.

He didn't noticed that Albus was still standing nearby until the shorter boy tugged on his arm, pulling him away from the fireplace before Ginny came tumbling out.

"Hi, Scorpius," Rose greeted him, suddenly standing in front of him.

"Hi," Scorpius replied.

He didn't look at her for long, too distracted by the other people crowded into such a small space.

Logically, Scorpius had known how large the Weasley family was, and he'd thought he'd prepared himself for seeing them all together. As it turned out, he hadn't. His mind hadn't had the previous experience necessary to picture a family gathering like this. There was hardly room for anyone to move around.

"It's like Hogwarts but with less space," Scorpius whispered, causing Albus to grin.

Rose had been sucked back into a conversation with Dominique and wasn't paying attention to them. It really was a lot like the Great Hall; people were having conversations everywhere, making it difficult to make anything out as the voices merged into one sound.

"I guess," Albus said. "I'd never thought of it like that before. I know my family is a lot bigger than yours."

Scorpius's smile dimmed as he thought of his father in Malfoy Manor. His grandmother was there, too, of course, but it still left him feeling sad. Sometimes the Manor felt like Hogwarts in size. It wasn't really, but it did give that impression from the inside until you explored the lengths of it and found where it ended. Yet it never held as many people as the Burrow currently was.

"It's different," Scorpius said. "Everything is."

He didn't explain further; he didn't think he could. This is what Albus was used to, and just like Scorpius had been unable to picture this before seeing it, he wouldn't have been able to accurately describe what his own family was like in a way that meant much to Albus.

Albus grinned softly, reaching out to wrap a hand around Scorpius's wrist.

"Come on," he said. "This is always the loudest room in the house."

He pulled Scorpius through the doorway on the far side of the room. They emerged into the kitchen, a room that was populated only by adults. Many of them seemed to be taking advantage of the relative quiet to talk, but several were helping Molly Weasley with their dinner, hurrying around the kitchen as this dish and that needed something done to it.

Albus kept pushing Scorpius through the room as Molly scolded George for not being careful with the knife he was holding.

"We're going outside," Albus said over his shoulder once he and Scorpius were already standing before the door.

There were murmured acknowledgments from several of the adults, including Albus's parents. Even Mrs. Weasley managed to throw, "Dinner'll be ready in a few minutes, dears," over her shoulder before something began hissing. Albus pushed the door open and hurried Scorpius into the back garden, shutting the door firmly behind them.

Scorpius took in the landscape. There was plenty of land behind the Burrow, but it didn't very much fit what a garden was in his experience. The grounds of Malfoy Manor were perfectly groomed to the point that you were afraid to step off any of the paths, lest you ruin something.

The Burrow wasn't like that. The grass was scattered with dead spots as a result of being trampled by too many feet. In some places, the dirt even showed. The hedges that lined the space, if they had been at Malfoy Manor, would have given his grandmother Narcissa a heart attack before she fired the gardeners. As he looked at them, Scorpius saw a gnome peeking out from underneath one. He smiled. He'd only seen a gnome once, and his report of it had led to a gardener being sent out immediately to 'take care of the infestation'.

Scorpius was so busy taking in the sight that he didn't notice at first that Albus had sat on a low brick wall that lined the garden. Scorpius followed, though the cold of the brick spread easily through his jeans.

They were facing away from the house, staring out at the land behind the Burrow. It wasn't much, but Scorpius appreciated how calm it felt. Perhaps it was because they had come from the house, and being free from the noise that had clogged his ears was a relief.

"It's nice out here," he said.

His words startled Albus, who had settled into the silence. He glanced at Scorpius with one eyebrow raised before answering.

"I guess so. I'm not out here much to be honest. Spending any time outside around this family means being roped into Quidditch matches that you don't want to participate in."

"It's nice that they want you to play with them."

"Maybe," Albus said. "Only to even out the numbers though. They need the teams to have the same number of players for it to be fair."

Scorpius watched Albus while Albus continued to stare towards the orchard where those Quidditch games had taken place.

"I bet that's not the only reason," Scorpius said, doing his best to make his voice upbeat and happy. "They want you to play."

"No, they don't," Albus insisted. "They're too competitive for that. Everyone in the family is in it to win except for me. That's the real reason I'm such a liability for whichever team I end up on. The need to win trumps everything else, even family, during a match."

While Albus was frowning, Scorpius found himself grinning at the thought of it. He could picture it easily in his mind, the Weasley cousins arguing over plays because there was no referee.

"That sounds quite nice."

Albus shot him a strange look. He was utterly perplexed by Scorpius's smile.

"Nice?" he repeated. "It sucks. Come on. You don't like Quidditch anymore than I do. You'd hate being forced to play all summer long."

Scorpius shrugged. He was also looking towards the orchard now, though he was wistful.

"Maybe I wouldn't if I had cousins who wanted me to play with them."

He paused for a moment, his grin fading.

"If I'd had people to play with growing up, maybe I'd like playing Quidditch. I never really had the chance to play, since there was no one to play with. Dad would offer to throw around a Quaffle sometimes, but that wasn't the same thing."

"Well, if you want to test the theory, then I'm sure there'll be a game that they'll let you participate in."

"Me?" Scorpius asked, eyes wide. "Do you really think they'd let me? I'm not good at it."

"They make me play," Albus pointed out. "I don't see why letting you play would be any different. Actually, I'm sure they'd be nicer to you. Maybe you being there would keep Roxanne from ramming James off his broom."

Scorpius gasped. "Has that actually happened?"

"She's come close once or twice, but James has always managed to hold on. Teddy mastered levitation spells years ago to make sure James didn't die."

Scorpius shook his head in disbelief.

"I have no idea what it's like to have a family like that," he said. "It sounds so...strange. Almost abnormal."

Albus turned slightly away from him.

"My family's never been normal."

"Albus," Scorpius said, scooting closer, "I didn't mean that as a bad thing. I meant it as a good one. I think it's cool. Actually, it's fascinating."

Just as Albus was about to respond, the door to the kitchen opened. The two boys turned around, hearts racing as they tried to see who had come to disturb them. Albus breathed easier upon seeing the smiling face of Teddy.

"I was told that the two of you were out here," Teddy said, stepping out and letting the door fall shut behind him.

Scorpius fidgeted next to Albus. He and Teddy had never actually met.

Teddy's smile softened when he saw that Scorpius was nervous. Once he'd approached, he stuck out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Teddy Lupin."

Scorpius nodded, returning the handshake.

"Scorpius Malfoy, nice to meet you."

"You too," Teddy said. "I don't have much family by blood."

Scorpius blushed.

Albus wasn't sure that Draco had ever properly met Andromeda, even in the years since the war. Scorpius had mentioned in passing before that his grandmother still felt anger towards her only living sister, though Andromeda had never so much as alluded to Narcissa around Albus.

Teddy had mentioned his interest in getting to know Albus's best friend who was also his second cousin, but there had never been an opportunity for the two of them to come face-to-face.

"I'm meant to tell you to come inside for dinner," Teddy said, motioning to the door over his shoulder. "Come on."

He turned back to the door, holding it open for the two younger boys to enter.

Molly had sent Teddy for them before the other children, or maybe Teddy himself had been eager to meet his cousin, as there were only adults gathered around the table. The cooks had sat down except for Molly, who was placing the last dish onto the table when Albus and Scorpius arrived.

Teddy had gone directly for the table, reaching it before Albus and Scorpius. There was an empty chair beside him that he motioned for Scorpius to take. Scorpius did so without argument. Albus had little choice but to take the empty chair between Scorpius and his mother.

Scorpius's eyes had almost permanently widened as he stared around the kitchen.

Molly stuck her head into the living room and called, "Dinner time!"

There was a rush of commotion in the living room. Scorpius, who had been convinced the family couldn't get any louder, stiffened, and Albus set this hand on his arm to comfort him.

With his other hand, he began scooping mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"Start getting what you want now," he urged Scorpius. "It's everyone for themselves."

It was so overwhelming that Scorpius didn't know what to do. The other Weasley cousins took their places around the table and were scooping massive amounts of food onto their plates, as were their parents. Everyone spoke happily while doing so, but there were more than a few conflicts over who had reached for a particular platter first. Scorpius couldn't get past his fear that, if he reached for anything, he would be one of those engaged in conflict. He didn't want that.

He had resolved himself to waiting for everyone else to get their food first when Albus waved the platter of roast in front of him.

"Take as much as you want," he said.

Scorpius hesitantly did so. He felt a bit like he was on display despite everyone else doing the same as him. He was the outsider at this dinner, which surely meant that everyone would be watching him. He didn't look up at them to confirm his worries.

Albus kept passing him food once he'd scooped some onto his own plate. He even handed Scorpius the peas despite not taking any for himself. Scorpius's stomach fluttered, and he would have dropped the dish if Albus hadn't reached out to steady it. Scorpius tried to force a smile while his face blazed scarlet. He definitely felt like everyone was staring after that. Albus smiled at him, placing the peas between them so that Scorpius could scoop some onto his plate without worrying about holding the bowl.

Once he'd gotten his fair share, Scorpius hesitated for a moment over what to do, as there was no empty space on the table in front of him where he could place the bowl.

"You done with those?"

Rose's voice from across the table startled him.

"Oh, yes," Scorpius replied loud enough to attract the attention of several of the closest Weasleys.

He passed the peas to Rose, being especially careful not to drop them.

His plate was full, but it took a glance at Albus and seeing him already eating for Scorpius to do the same. It felt rude to begin eating before the other family members, and a quick glance around the table showed Scorpius that he was one of the last to touch his food.

The Weasleys were an interesting group to observe. He had always thought so, though he'd never had a chance to see the cousins with their parents and grandparents. A few of those around the table were entirely new faces to Scorpius.

The Weasley genes seemed to dominate amongst most of the cousins. They weren't all vibrant redheads as the Weasleys had once been. Quite a few of the children had inherited other hair colours from their non-Weasley parent. There were a variety of skin tones around the table too. Still, there was something about the cousins, though Scorpius couldn't pinpoint what, that immediately told you that they were related. Scorpius thought, after watching them for awhile, that it was their mannerisms that gave them away.

Everyone was talking with each other, which led to everyone eating at a slower pace than they would have otherwise. Scorpius thought of family meals with his grandmother, and his grandfather when he'd been alive. Narcissa ate slowly, but it wasn't because she was partaking in boisterous conversation. She thought it was proper to eat at such a pace, leading to slow movements and slow chewing and strange pauses between bites. She would always be the last to finish. That wasn't what Scorpius was witnessing here.

There were many conversations going on at once, yet Scorpius felt a desire to keep up with each and every one. His eyes darted up and down the table, getting fragments of sentences without being able to interpret their meanings. Albus, for his part, looked quite bored. He was halfheartedly listening to Dominique's long winded explanation for why her most recent History of Magic essay had been unfairly graded. Her argument was long the lines of, "Professor Binns is outdated in his views on certain events despite a new interpretation being the most accepted in the modern historian community."

At the far end of the table, Hermione was telling Percy and Arthur about a particularly angry wizard who wouldn't stop demanding meetings with her despite not having gone through the proper channels.

Fleur, who Scorpius had never met before and was infinitely curious about due to her veela blood, was asking Molly for advice about the new vegetables she wanted to grow in her garden come spring.

"Which ones would be the best to plant, do you think? We have so little good soil living near the beach."

Scorpius looked back down at his plate, overwhelmed by it all. He didn't know how they were talking to each other and not getting distracted by the other conversations around them. He focused on eating his food, trying not to get drawn in by it again.

Most of the food on his plate was gone by the time the conversations had merged to a point that was less overwhelming. Hermione, it seemed, could gather the attention of the adults when she talked about particularly important Ministry issues.

She was careful in what she said, never revealing anything classified, but she was, without a doubt, a treasure trove of information for anyone who wanted to know what was going on in wizarding politics within Britain or even abroad.

Scorpius found it fascinating and was hardly able to focus on finishing his carrots.

"Hopefully, it won't shape up to be a big deal," she was telling them.

Her own plate was pushed away from her, having been finished ten minutes ago.

"The only problem is the Rowle family. They're not happy with how they're being treated these days. No one will take them seriously. It was their own fault they became Death Eaters. They have no real allies. Others in similar positions are too intent on distancing themselves from the past."

"The Rowles aren't the smartest of the old group, are they?"

George sounded far more amused about the situation than Hermione.

"Their intelligence has nothing to do with it," Hermione replied, frowning. "They feel insulted, and that makes people angry, often to the point of them being unreasonable. I'd never in a million years defend them. They were attacking people like me. What I am saying is that they're in a space of mind where they can't be reasoned with, least of all with the likes of me."

Harry, who was on the same side of the table as Hermione but with five people between them, leaned forward to better look at the Minister.

"And you don't think anything can be done to quiet them?" he asked. "Because they've begun harassing the Department of Magical Law Enforcement too, Hermione. They want compensation for the raids on their house. Never mind that we found plenty of illegal items to justify the searches. They say they were unlawfully conducted."

"Rubbish," Bill said, voice raised in anger. "No justification, my arse. They were openly aligned with Voldemort. No one could say that wasn't plenty of justification. It was agreed upon after the war that all known Death Eaters would have their property searched."

"Which is what I tell them every time," Harry said, "but they won't accept the answer. To them, that agreement was against their rights. They keep threatening me with the Wizengamot."

"They've tried that," Hermione cut in. "But they don't have the justification to call a trial. Each time they've been turned down, they've threatened to take the Wizengamot to trial for not listening to them, but of course, their case is hopeless. They'll never see the inside of a courtroom. Not as the plaintiffs at least."

"I don't get it," Ron said.

He was one of the few people at the table still eating. A forkful of pudding hung in his hand.

"All these Death Eaters, they know they're not going to get their way, yet they act like they have a chance."

"They're the old families," Arthur reminded his son. "The Sacred Twenty-Eight. I know that title means nothing to the young witches and wizards of today, but in my childhood, it meant a lot to most of the families listed. It gave them a complex. When you've been told that your family is superior from the time you're born, it messes with how you view the world. It's near impossible to take that out of someone's head."

"We're lucky our family didn't take that route," Percy scoffed. "Imagine if we were pompous enough to believe we were above the law."

"Yeah, imagine a Weasley being pompous," George muttered.

Percy couldn't hear him, but a number of people at the table could, creating stifled laughter. Percy looked at them oddly but seemed to think little of it.

Scorpius managed to giggle along with the others through his discomfort. His eyes were skirting around the various Weasleys, waiting for one of them to look at him with accusation in their eyes. Albus reached out, touching his arm and causing Scorpius to jump. He heard Rose stifle a snort, but he didn't pay much attention as Albus's hand slipped into his, offering a squeeze of comfort.

"Is there any way you can force them to stop pestering the Ministry?" Angelina asked.

Hermione shook her head.

"At this point, I've exhausted my options. There comes a point where I have to decide where my priorities lie. I've always wanted to be an open Minister, as accessible to the public as possible. If I were to change that for the sake of getting the Rowles off my back, I'm not sure I could live with myself, and there's nothing I can do to target them personally. They haven't broken any laws by filing useless Wizengamot complaints, even if they're wasting everyone's time."

"Even for a family such as theirs," Molly said, "this behavior is outrageous. The other Death Eater families haven't been this brash."

"A lot of them are in Azkaban," Harry pointed out. "Sure, most of them have family members who weren't closely connected enough to be imprisoned, but in many of those cases, they weren't as involved in the blood purity nonsense as their relatives. They've been more willing to adjust to a new status quo."

"What about the Malfoys?" said Ron, who had entirely forgotten about Scorpius's presence at the table.

Albus's hand tightened in Scorpius's as he stiffened, watching Ron with alarm.

"They were some of Voldemort's most loyal, and they haven't been as insufferable as the Rowles."

"Ron," Hermione groaned.

She was looking at Scorpius with a sympathetic gaze that made him feel almost as uncomfortable as Ron's words had.

Ron followed her line of sight, and when his eyes landed on Scorpius, he looked regretful. Scorpius averted his eyes to the table.

"Sorry," Ron muttered, the word barely audible. "I didn't mean that as an insult. If anything, it was a compliment. It's the Rowles who are the nutters."

Scorpius cringed.

"Truthfully, your dad has shocked me, you know? He was a right prat when we were kids, and he's still kind of a prat, but he's somewhat decent now, which is more than I expected. With Lucius Malfoy dead, your family's not that bad anymore. Not really."

He trailed off awkwardly. Scorpius couldn't bear to look up from the table.

"Ron," Ginny growled, causing her brother to cringe.

There was a sound of a chair scraping across the floor and then Ginny was standing behind Scorpius placing a hand on his shoulder.

"My brother is a prat."

It was little more than a whisper, but the room was quiet enough that everyone heard her.

Ron almost protested, but a hit on the arm by Charlie shut him up.

"I think dinner's over," Molly announced.

She stood and began gathering empty dishes into her arms.

"Whoever is kind enough to help with the washing, we should get started if we want to be done working before midnight. Everyone else, you can run along."

The teenagers took that as their opportunity to escape. Scorpius chanced a look around and was surprised to see a few of those who had stayed to help, including Teddy and Victoire. Even Ron was gathering dirty plates, but judging by the way his wife was watching him, that was more of a punishment for what he'd said than altruism.

"Are you okay, Scorpius?" Ginny asked him quietly, drawing his attention back to her.

He nodded, trying to offer her a reassuring smile. Though she wasn't convinced, she backed away from him, beginning to help with the clearing of the table.

Albus's hand was still holding his, and Scorpius had no intention of letting go. He wasn't yet ready to get up from the table, though he felt bad for making the others work around him. Molly reached over him for his plate, offering him a kind smile.

"Some of my children have trouble thinking through their words before they speak," she told him. "What allows me to sleep at night is knowing that they have good intentions at the end of the day, even when they struggle to show it."

At this comment, she sent a pointed look at George, surprisingly, instead of Ron. The man offered his mother a grin. He was the only one, aside from Albus and Scorpius, still sitting at the table but not helping with the clean up.

"I knew you always saw into our hearts, Mum."

He was leaning his chair on its back legs, and Ron took the opportunity to grab ahold of it as he walked in from the living room, pulling the chair back far enough for George to yelp and flail his arms. The room erupted in laughter, and as soon as Ron had placed the chair back on the ground, George turned to glare at his younger brother.

Scorpius found himself smiling, some of his anxiety dissipating. His smile faded, however, as Ron moved closer to him and Albus.

He scratched the back of his neck as he stood above them. The tips of his ears were bright red. Scorpius didn't notice, but most of the Weasleys in the room had turned away from them, giving some semblance of privacy as they talked amongst themselves.

"Rosie gave me a scolding that was as good as her mother's usual," Ron said, sinking into the chair beside Scorpius that Teddy had previously occupied. "I'm not good at words."

Ron paused, taking a deep breath.

"I may still hold a grudge against your father. You have to understand that he was a right git to us at school. It's nothing against you, kid. Rosie has nothing but nice things to say about you, and I gather you're different. I gather that Malfoy is somewhat different these days too, though I have a hard time believing all of that."

Scorpius had no idea what to say. His throat had closed up. He turned to look at Albus, nudging at his arm in a silent request.

"It's okay, Uncle Ron," Albus said, offering a smile that looked only partially genuine. "I think Scorpius understands?"

He said the last sentence as if it were a question, looking to Scorpius for confirmation. Scorpius nodded, looking towards the table instead of at Ron.

Ron cleared his throat and stood.

"Good."

He hesitated for a moment, almost walking out of the kitchen before thinking better of it.

"I'm happy that Rosie befriended you," he admitted, perhaps hoping that his family wouldn't hear. "She's fond of you, and I like that she has as good of friends as I had at school."

With that, he disappeared into the living room. Scorpius wondered if Ron had felt as strong of a need to escape the situation as he did. The few adults lingering in the kitchen were occupying themselves with the dishes at the sink, not looking at Scorpius and Albus.

"Come on," Albus urged, not letting go of Scorpius's hand as he stood.

Scorpius hurried to follow, but still feeling nervous, he caught his foot on one of the chair legs and almost fell. Albus helped him extract himself from the situation and hurried him out the door, not bothering to say anything to the adults, including his mother, huddled by the sink.

They sat down in the same spot they'd sat in earlier, but it had grown dark. The trees in the distance were nothing but dark shapes against the sky. The moon, however, was bright, and Scorpius was more than happy to find the same familiar constellations hanging above the Burrow as over Malfoy Manor.

Albus's gaze followed Scorpius's to the sky. They did stargazing in Astronomy, but that was methodical and prescribed. The curfew at Hogwarts had always meant that they'd never sat back and leisurely looked at the stars together.

"Where's the one that you're named after?" Albus asked.

He'd always been rubbish at Astronomy, unable to make out how particular stars connected when they all looked like random dots in the sky. Scorpius, however, was a natural at finding the patterns, capable of seeing them as easily as if lines had been drawn to connect them.

"That one there," he said, pointing towards the scorpion in the sky.

Albus squinted, having trouble seeing how the stars could be arranged into anything, even with Scorpius's finger tracing it out.

"It doesn't seem very scorpion-like," Albus said, wondering if that was because he was looking at the wrong stars.

Scorpius giggled.

"It's not, but you have to give it to the Greeks for having imagination. Native Hawaiians call the same constellation Māui's fishhook—Māui's a demigod in their religion. And the Javanese say it's a leaning coconut tree."

Albus had a newfound interest in the constellation as he stared at it with squinted eyes.

"What do you think it most looks like?" he asked Scorpius.

Scorpius shrugged.

"I've been told it's a scorpion since I was a baby, so I can see that best."

"But you said it didn't look like a scorpion."

"Not in a realistic sense," Scorpius said with a grin, "but you can make it into a scorpion in the abstract sense."

Albus gave a short laugh.

"I think it would be cool to be named after a constellation."

"Not as cool as being named after one of the greatest wizards who ever lived."

Albus's smile fell, and Scorpius felt a rush of panic that he'd said the wrong thing.

"Less pressure though," Albus muttered.

Scorpius scooted closer, his arm pressing against Albus's.

"Did you ever think about how both of our names are Latin?" Scorpius asked, desperately wanting to rectify his mistake.

"No," Albus said, "I hadn't."

"Well, they are, and I think that's pretty neat."

Albus laughed.

"I suppose it is."

They were quiet for a few moments before Scorpius asked, "You can find Polaris, can't you?"

"Um."

Albus's eyes roved over the night sky until he hesitantly raised a finger in the general direction of one of the brighter stars.

"There?"

"Astronomy has truly failed you," Scorpius lamented. "Or you've failed it. One or the other."

He took hold of Albus's wrist, moving his hand until he was pointing in the direction of the actual North Star.

"Whoops," Albus said, unable to contain his laughter.

Scorpius began giggling too. Neither of them were able to talk for several long minutes.

XXX

True to all of the Christmas holidays that Albus could remember, frequent visits to the Burrow were a staple. Scorpius came along to the first two before he went off to Malfoy Manor to spend Christmas with his father and grandmother.

While Albus knew it was important that Scorpius spend time with his family, he couldn't help but pout over losing his best friend. His cousins let him do so without saying much until Teddy interrupted him one day.

Teddy had been in Albus's life since he was born and had always been an older brother. In many ways, he felt like more of a stereotypical big brother than James did. He always intervened whenever something seemed wrong with Albus.

So he wasn't surprised when Teddy sat down beside him on the same brick wall that he had occupied with Scorpius several days before.

"It's been a long time since I've seen mopey Albus," Teddy said, shooting Albus a grin.

Albus couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm not mopey," he insisted. "I'm thinking."

The latter statement, at least, was true. He had been thinking. He had been thinking constantly since early last summer, the same thoughts whirling around in his head over and over. The answers he wanted were unattainable. He couldn't figure out why. It shouldn't have been so complicated.

"Where's Victoire?" Albus asked. "Surely, she came with you."

Mentioning Victoire usually put Teddy in a good mood, especially since their wedding, which was why Albus was struck to see that Teddy grimaced at the question.

"She's inside talking to Molly," he replied. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing exciting," Albus said. "What's up with you?"

Teddy sighed, accepting defeat.

"It's not that big of a deal," he insisted. "There's a lot going on, and you know the holidays are more hectic than any other time of the year. Patience gets thin; people snap at each other. It's to be expected."

"Who's snapping at who?" Albus asked. "There hasn't been a fight all day. That's remarkable really."

One side of Teddy's mouth quirked upwards, but he didn't actually smile.

"It is," he agreed. "But you do see what I mean, right? There's plenty of arguing around Christmas. If there's a time of year for people to get cross with each other, it's now."

"I guess so, but I still don't get what you're going on about. Who's lost their temper?"

Teddy scrapped his food against the grass.

"Victoire and I are going through a lot right now."

"You are Victoire are fighting? You and Victoire? The most perfect couple there is?"

"We've never done anything to deserve being called–"

"How can you and Victoire be fighting? That shouldn't be possible."

Teddy didn't answer at first. Albus didn't like the look he gave him, one that showed that Teddy thought his comment had been naive.

"Everyone fights, Al. The only way to avoid it is to not talk to anyone. Victoire and I have always argued."

"But this is different."

Albus knew it was. He'd never seen Teddy look this worried or unsure of himself. Whatever he was telling Albus, he wasn't entirely convinced by it. His usually vibrant hair was a shade or two lighter, closer to his natural hair colour, now that Albus was looking closely, and his skin seemed paler, though that might not have had anything directly to do with his metamorphmagus abilities.

"Kind of. It's really not that big of a deal. It's only that it came to a head last night, so it's fresh. I shouldn't be pushing this on you; you're only a kid."

"I'm fourteen," Albus replied with indignation.

"And I'm an adult. I shouldn't be sharing my marriage problems with a teenager."

Albus shivered as a particularly sharp wind blew around them. Teddy seemed impervious to it.

"You'll be alright in the end though, right?" Albus asked.

He'd never given Teddy and Victoire's relationship much thought. Even before they'd been together, most of the family had been waiting for it to happen. They'd been inseparable since before Albus was born. Once they were dating, it was assumed that they'd get married and be together forever. Or at least that was what _Albus_ had assumed.

Teddy shook his head, not able to look Albus in the eyes, but when he said, "We'll be fine," Albus could tell that, if nothing else, he was determined to make it true.

"It's just a normal argument, Albus," Teddy said. "Nothing about it is going to ruin our marriage; I can promise you that."

Suddenly, Albus found it easier to breathe.

"That's good," he said.

He felt as if he should do something comforting, but he had no idea how to comfort someone who wasn't Scorpius.

"I can't imagine what the holidays would be like if you two weren't together anymore. It would be unbearable."

He paused, his face looking stricken as he realized something.

"Teddy, you would still come over if something happened between you and Victoire, right?"

Teddy gave a short laugh. It was the first time he'd been amused since he had sat down.

"Luckily, we don't have to worry about that. Don't lose sleep over it."

"I'll try not to," Albus replied, only half joking. He couldn't get rid of the part of him that was worried. "Really though, what are you arguing about?"

"I don't want to say it out loud because, to be honest, it sounds stupid. Like I said, spend enough time with someone and eventually one of you gets frustrated and things are said and, well…"

He motioned in the air in front of him as if it meant something.

"Which one of you said something first?"

Teddy sighed, his shoulders drooping.

"Me, it was definitely me."

"How are you taking this so well?" Albus asked. "How are you confident that everything will work out? Is that what it's like when you meet 'the one'?"

He put air quotes around 'the one', causing Teddy to laugh.

"I was a mess earlier today," he admitted. "It was remembering something your dad said to me back when Victoire and I were engaged that helped."

"My dad?" Albus repeated in disbelief. "My dad gave you marriage advice?"

"I don't know why you're surprised," Teddy said with a smirk. "Your parents were my biggest example of married life when I was a kid, you realize. My parents are dead, and sure, Grandma can give me advice but I never got to see her with my grandad. There were your aunts and uncles, your grandparents too, but your parents are basically my best roadmap on how marriage is supposed to work."

Albus was silent for a moment, turning Teddy's words over in his head.

"What did he say to you?" he asked.

"He told me about what was going through his mind when he married Aunt Ginny. You know the Dursleys, who he never talks about?"

Albus nodded.

"He didn't tell me much about them, but he said that, growing up, their marriage was the only model he got and that it was a shitty one. He said something about how they seemed to love each other but that it seemed like they cared more about looking like a happy family or something like that."

That was more than Albus could recall being told about the Dursleys. All he knew was that they were his dad's aunt and uncle and that his dad hated them enough to never speak to them again after he was of age. It was enough that Albus would have been scared to meet them had the opportunity arose.

Teddy continued, "When he was getting ready to marry Aunt Ginny, he said he got nervous that he'd make a terrible husband because he didn't know how to be one. Apparently he panicked right before he had to go stand in front of the crowd, and it was Bill who clapped him on the shoulder and said, 'You've done something right so far. Just keep it up.'"

"So he just repeated Uncle Bill's advice to you." Albus snorted. "He didn't give you much."

Teddy shook his head, not mirroring Albus's smile.

"He said he didn't want me freaking out the same way he did because he got that I might, thinking that not having grown up with parents made me an idiot about marriage. He wanted to make sure I knew that wasn't the case. Because I knew what I was doing."

"That's not advice, Teddy. He just told you that you didn't need advice."

"Oh, no," Teddy said, shaking his head. "I needed advice. Still do. It's just that I had that advice there. I had plenty of people to ask for help. I hadn't realized that before."

They were quiet for a minute. Albus wasn't sure why remembering this had helped Teddy feel better about Victoire.

"One day it'll make sense," Teddy said, startling Albus.

He smirked at the younger boy.

"I know your girlfriend from last year broke up with you."

Albus scowled, still angry about how James had announced that to the entire family over the summer.

"But I never did hear why."

Albus debated with himself over what to say for a moment, frowning at the grass.

"She said that I didn't really like her."

He paused, tilting his head to the side.

"Actually, she said that I might like her but not like her enough. Because she thought I would, or did, like someone else more."

He said the last part hesitantly, watching Teddy for a reaction. He wasn't prepared for the knowing smile.

"She broke up with you because of Scorpius. I figured it was something like that. I just wondered if either of you'd figured out that that was why."

Albus bristled. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears.

"How do you know she was talking about Scorpius?"

When Teddy smiled again, it was with a hint of pity.

"It's obvious. I'm glad she picked up on it because a lot of other people your age might not have. Thinking back on it, it's incredible how oblivious teenagers can be to things like this."

"Things like what?"

"Feelings," Teddy said. "Sure, you feel plenty, but you think you've got interpreting it down, which is rarely true. Hell, I'm twenty-three, and I don't get my own emotions half the time. The difference is that I realize it now.

"The whole," he motioned erratically with his hands, "romance thing that teenagers do is when it's the most obvious. Everyone's dating, but no one knows how the ins and outs of relationships work yet, so you're flying by the seat of your robes. You have to if you're going to figure it out. It would be a wonder if there weren't bumps in the road. There's something instinctive about liking someone, loving them eventually, but you have to learn what the instincts mean, and that takes a surprisingly long time."

"Instincts?" Albus repeated in disbelief. "Teddy, you're making teenagers sound like animals or something. We have brains."

"So do animals," Teddy pointed out, "and we do have instincts too. That's a fact. You're not going to try and tell me that there isn't anything about who you like that goes back to instinct? Or maybe there's a better word… Hormones? Primal drives? I don't know. My knowledge of Muggle biology is limited at best, but you get what I mean. We naturally like people, but we we have to learn how to interpret what we feel. And we don't necessarily know how to act on our feelings even if we know what they are."

"I have no idea what you're saying, mate," Albus said.

Teddy sighed, shaking his head. He looked defeated with his shoulders was putting a lot of effort into this talk.

"I'm trying to help you have your grand realization without being obvious about it. Turns out I'm not good at being subtle and getting my point across."

"Apparently not. Because that wasn't subtle. That was just strange." He allowed himself a short laugh before he asked, "But what, exactly, am I supposed to be realizing?"

There was something nudging at his brain, trying to tell him that Teddy held the answers he'd spent months trying to find.

There were several moments where the silence dragged on. Albus watched Teddy, who's face shuffled through emotions as he argued with himself. Albus was destroying his remaining attempts at subtlety.

"It would be much more meaningful if you figured it out for yourself," Teddy muttered.

Albus didn't say anything in response. Teddy's eyes turned to look at him, analyzing his demeanor. He definitely knew something about what was going on in Albus's head.

"One thing I regret," Teddy said slowly, "is that I didn't come out to you lot years ago."

"What?" Albus asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Adrenaline rushed through his veins, making his skin feel like it was vibrating. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to hear Teddy's next words due to shock.

"I'm bisexual," Teddy stated simply.

His worry had been replaced with a smile. His shoulders straightened.

"I realized it when I was in fifth year. Came out to Grandma at Christmas, your parents that next summer. Other than that, I didn't tell the rest of the family. Victoire knows, obviously. She knew before we were dating, but you have to understand, coming out is exhausting. After telling Grandma and your parents, I didn't want to immediately come out to you guys, so I put it off. Then it didn't feel as important; I wasn't hiding exactly, but I didn't say anything. So I never actually told you. I regret that. In a way, I always felt a bit guilty. I should tell the others."

"Bisexual," Albus repeated as if it were a foreign word and not one that he thought about constantly. "You don't just like girls?"

Teddy laughed.

"You managed to ask that as if the idea of it is mind blowing, but you and I both know that's not the case, right?"

Albus wished he could mirror Teddy's ease with which he discussed his sexuality. Inside, he was relieved, but he couldn't say he was happy. The thoughts that always whirled around his head were active, demanding so much of his attention that it was difficult to carry on a conversation at all.

"It kind of is," Albus admitted. "I mean, not really. It's not mind blowing that someone could like more than one gender. It's just…"

He hesitated before forcing himself to say it.

"It's more mind blowing that I _know_ someone who does."

"Ah."

Teddy stretched his legs out in front of him.

"I get it. When I first realized how I felt, I didn't know anyone either, but one of my friends came out as bi before I did. That helped me more than she probably realizes. I'm sure I would have come to terms with it anyway, but being able to talk about it with someone else who feels the same way helps."

"Which is why you came out here to talk to me?"

"Right on the nose, Al."

Albus tilted his head up to the sky. For the first time in his life, he could remember exactly where the constellation Scorpius would be, though the sky was a bright, starless blue now. The stars seemed to shine in front of his eyes anyway. He felt a pang in his stomach.

"How did you know?"

He glanced over at Teddy, seeing his brow furrow.

"That I'm bisexual," he clarified.

He stumbled over the word, his stomach sloshing with the knowledge that he'd said it aloud for the first time. Teddy beamed, which only increased Albus's nerves.

"So you're admitting it now?"

"It's not like…"

Albus paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"I've known for months, I think. My brain just had trouble accepting it. The problem wasn't that I didn't want to be bi. It was more that I didn't know if I had a right to call myself anything. Because what if I actually liked boys more or I actually liked girls more or something like that? What if I said I was bi but then wasn't and had just been confused? I didn't want to say I was something and then be wrong, even to myself."

"I get it."

When Albus scoffed, Teddy raised an eyebrow.

"I do," he insisted, voice rising in slight irritation. "Believe it or not, Al, your experience isn't a unique one. It might be downright common."

"There's no way bisexual people are ever this confused. I don't know if you fully understand the mess that has been my brain for months."

"I do because mine was the same way when I was your age."

"How did you know then?" Albus asked. "If you were so confused, what made you comfortable saying that you're bi?"

"Lots of little things."

There was a grin on his lips as he thought of the past.

"A few of my friends came out, both as gay and as bi, and I talked to them about how they felt and how they knew. Mostly, though, them coming out made it feel less scary. Once my own feelings were less scary, it was easier to make sense of it all."

"That you liked all genders?"

"Yep," Teddy agreed. "Don't worry about how long it takes you to get there. Everyone's different, but I promise that you will. And when you do, you'll feel...at peace with yourself. It's a wonderful feeling."

"I'm sure it is."

Albus couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice, which caused Teddy's grin to soften. He placed one of his hands on Albus's shoulder, squeezing it briefly.

"Tonight put you a step closer, right?"

"I think so. I think I've accepted it. I just have to accept that I've accepted it. Merlin, that makes no sense."

Teddy laughed, clapping Albus's shoulder several times before withdrawing his hand.

"I promise you that it makes more sense to me than you think it does."

They fell into a surprisingly easy silence, Albus still staring where the Scorpius constellation had been the night before.

"Teddy," he said after a while, voice hesitant, "how were my parents when you came out to them?"

There was the knowing smile again.

"They were great," Teddy promised, voice firm and encouraging. "It was a bit awkward, I'll admit, but that was mostly because they were unprepared for it. Now they've had practice, it'll go smooth as butter for you. You're welcome."

Albus grinned.

"Thanks, Teddy."

"Come on."

Teddy stood from the wall, reaching a hand down to help Albus stand.

"It's freezing out here, and I'd rather not spend Christmas recovering from hypothermia."

"Are you a wizard or not?"

XXX

Grimmauld Place was decked to the nines for Christmas. On his last legs of life, Kreacher had a fervent need to prove to the family that he was still useful. Part of that need involved decorating the house to an extent never seen before. Almost every surface contained some type of decoration.

Wreaths hung on each door. Garland wrapped around the staircase. The tree brushed the high ceiling and held so many ornaments that magic kept the branches from drooping. Bows even hung on the walls in random places around the house, big gaudy ones that James and Albus had been unable to stop laughing at when they'd first seen them.

The house elf's sense of taste could stand to be improved, though he had least stuck to a red and green colour scheme that was safe.

Albus could hear Kreacher humming Christmas carols, of all things, while he dusted the portraits along the hallway. He shook his head to himself as he approached his father's home office door.

Though Harry had maintained this office since before Albus was born, it wasn't frequently used, as Harry never wanted to bring work home. The holidays were one exception when he chose to work at home under the pretense of spending more time with family while still getting some work done.

He surely hadn't been thinking about his youngest son interrupting him in order to come out when he'd invited them to interrupt him at any time, but it was as close to an invitation to do so as Albus was going to get. Lily was busy playing with the cat. James had gone off to Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's to spend time with Fred and Roxanne. As always, his mum was at the _Prophet_ 's offices during the crunch time of the daily news cycle.

Albus's way was free and clear to speak to his father without interruption.

Teddy may have been able to come out to Harry and Ginny at the same time, but Albus had decided that wasn't something he could handle. He had a hard time telling his parents much of anything as it was.

His heart pounded in his chest as he hovered out of sight of the doorway. He could hear Harry's quill scratching against parchment. There was a laziness to it, with his father taking his time shaping the letters to keep from moving on to more work.

Albus filled his lungs with air, imagining that it was confidence instead. He didn't give himself time to evaluate if it had worked before he reached up to wrack his knuckles against the doorframe at the same time as he stepped into view.

Harry glanced up, smiling at the sight of his son. Albus tried to smile back, but it came out strained.

"Hey," Harry greeted, laying down his quill.

"Hi."

Albus ran his palms against his trousers, trying to get rid of the sweat that had coated them.

"Can we talk for a few minutes?"

Harry knew that something was up. He was watching Albus with a close eye, as if he'd decided that he needed to be careful about what he said or did.

"Sure," he said.

He moved his quill and parchment to the side and watched Albus as he lowered himself into one of several chairs in the office.

The chair wasn't facing Harry's desk, as that had never been a feature needed in the office, and Albus didn't move it so that it was either. After a moment of indecision where neither of them said anything, Harry rose from his desk and grabbed another chair, pulling it around until it was across from Albus and a reasonable distance away for a conversation.

"What is it?"

"The past…"

Albus took a deep breath before continuing to speak.

"I guess the past year, I've been really, erm, confused about a lot of stuff. You see, er…"

He looked up at Harry.

"This is kind of a long story. I don't know if you want to listen to all of it. I can just–"

"Albus."

It was difficult due to the distance between them, but Harry leaned forward to place a hand on Albus's shoulder as he spoke.

"You can tell me the whole story."

Albus stared at him, eyes wide. Once he'd nodded, Harry sat back, removing his hand. Albus took another deep breath before continuing.

"You know how I was dating that girl, Eden, last year?"

He paused for Harry's nod.

"And she broke up with me?"

Another nod that Albus needed to keep going.

"I don't remember how much I told you about that."

"Nothing," Harry said softly. "It was your brother that told us you were dating and that she'd broken up with you, but that's all he said."

"I never said anything about why she broke up with me?"

Harry shook his head, though Albus didn't need it. He remembered that he had been adamant that his parents not know what had happened, even vaguely, in case they discovered the truth.

Albus cleared his throat. His hands shook until he clasped them together in his lap.

"Eden broke up with me."

He glanced up at Harry for a reaction, but all he got was a small smile. He looked back down at his lap as he continued.

"She broke up with me because she thought I liked someone else."

Another glance at Harry. The same smile was still on his lips, but there was a new sense of amusement to the way it quirked up at the corner. His eyes sparkled.

"Why do you look so happy about that?" Albus asked, feeling himself beginning to get angry.

Harry shook his head, trying to rearrange his features into a neutral expression. He was only partially successful. There was still a slight smile on his lips.

"That wasn't the reason I was expecting," Harry explained. "But did you know that the first girl I went on a date with stormed out because she thought I liked your aunt Hermione?"

"Really?" Albus asked, leaning forward in disbelief.

Harry nodded. His smile was back, and he laughed as he remembered.

"It was my fault. To me, it was obvious that Hermione was like my sister. I never expected anyone would think differently, which was probably stupid of me after that mess with Skeeter the year before."

That one Albus had heard about from Hermione's grumblings when they'd run into Skeeter at the World Cup.

"That was the year Umbridge was a professor and a lot of students thought I was lying about Voldemort. Hermione got me an interview with _The_ _Quibbler_ to clear my name. She scheduled it for the same Hogsmeade trip where I was supposed to go on a date with Cho Chang.

"Apparently, I was supposed to tell Cho about how badly I didn't want to go with Hermione but that I had to, which would have been true in all honesty. That wasn't what I said though, and when she heard that I had to meet with Hermione, things went sour. I'll leave it at that. I never got to explain to her that Rita Skeeter would be there too. Should have been obvious that she wouldn't set a good mood for a date."

"Nice going, Dad."

He'd never thought about his dad dating anyone before his mum. It was something from a distant past that Albus couldn't fully believe was real.

"You live and learn. Luckily, I never had your mum storm out of a date, so I must have learned something."

"Or she already knew when you were being stupid."

"That too," Harry agreed. "Cho and I did work it out for a bit, but it didn't last long. Her friend betrayed Dumbledore's Army."

He trailed off in thought, eyes focused on the wall above Albus's head.

"Long story," he concluded.

"But she realized that you didn't like Aunt Hermione in the end?"

Harry scratched at his chin.

"I think so," he said. "Now that I think about it, we never talked about it. It seemed to be understood."

Albus snorted, shaking his head.

"I guess that Eden never figured out the same thing?" Harry asked.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at Albus. The boy shifted uneasily under the scrutiny.

"She didn't," he said quietly. "We haven't talked since she broke up with me. She ignores me in class."

Albus cleared his throat before he continued speaking, and even so, the words sounded strangled.

"It was Scorpius. Who Eden said I liked, I mean."

Another nod, this time accompanied by a gentle smile.

"Was she right?" Harry asked in the same quiet voice that Albus had resorted to using.

Albus couldn't find the right words, so he nodded instead. At first, he thought that had been enough, that he wouldn't have to say anything else on the subject. He could leave, let Harry get back to business, and they'd both know what mattered. After what felt like a long moment of silence though, Albus found more words tumbling out of his mouth.

"When she first said it, I thought she was joking or using it as an excuse, but it was like she planted a seed in my brain. Maybe not a seed. The thoughts had already been there, but she forced me to look at them for the first time. It's hard to explain, Dad, because it still doesn't make sense to me all the way."

"What doesn't make sense?"

"I really did like Eden. She's not like Scorpius, obviously, but I liked her. Then she made me realize that maybe I did like Scorpius too, but that made me confused. Because if I liked both Eden and Scorpius but in different ways, then did I really like both of them or just one of them? Maybe I'd lied to myself about Eden or maybe I liked her in a way but not a 'real' way. Maybe that sounds stupid, but I thought it."

"It doesn't sound stupid, Albus."

Albus met Harry's eyes. He was suddenly unable to look away.

"You're just trying to make me feel better."

"I'm really not," Harry insisted.

He leaned back in his chair, sighing.

"Remember how stupid I was in the story I just told you? I was confused, too, when I was your age. I didn't understand a thing about romance or dating, and I thought of girls as almost...aliens, in a way. I was clueless. Of course, I'm not saying any of the confusion I went through is anything like what you did, but I do get what it's like to be a confused teenager."

There was something about Harry's tone that assured Albus that he was being honest. Teddy had been reassuring the day before—and Albus was beyond grateful to have someone in his life who had experienced what he was going through—but there was something about his dad saying he understood that brought tears to Albus's eyes.

He blinked rapidly, willing them to go away.

"Sorry," he said as Harry got up from his chair, moving closer though he had no idea what to do, hovering over Albus, hands out as if he thought he should be using them to comfort Albus somehow. "It's just, er, a relief to have said it."

Harry dropped his hands and squatted next to Albus's chair, making him look up at him.

"Am I the first person you've told?" Harry asked softly.

"Third." Albus sniffed. "Teddy talked to me about it yesterday, and Rose basically knows. Figured it out for herself."

"Ah, yes. I'm glad you were able to talk to Teddy."

Albus ran the sleeve of his jumper over his eyes, soaking up what tears he could. He felt somewhat calmer, enough so that the tears were already being replaced with a hesitant optimism. There was a new, settled feeling in his stomach.

"Scorpius doesn't know?" Harry asked.

Albus shook his head and took a deep breath.

"No," Albus whispered. "I feel like telling him about the bi thing might mean that he'd figure out I like him. Maybe I shouldn't be worried about it, but I think I'd be obvious."

Harry reached out to place his hand on Albus's shoulder.

"You don't think he likes you too?"

Albus shrugged, almost knocking Harry's hand away in the process.

"Things like that are impossible to tell with Scorpius. He liked Rose back in our first year, and I never realized until he asked her out."

"Scorpius asked out Rose?" Harry's voice rose in surprise. He tried to picture the scene in his mind, but it was impossible.

"Yeah, he did. During first year. I just said so."

"Really?"

Harry sat back in his chair.

"I never would have imagined."

"Well, it happened. Scorpius liked Rose, but she didn't like him and turned him down. Scorpius is over her, I think, but I swear I'm not making this up."

Harry had a strange look on his face as he watched his son.

"No," he said. "I didn't think you were making anything up. It's just hard for me to imagine. I've never thought that Rose was much of Scorpius's type."

"What do you mean?" Albus scoffed. "They're incredibly similar, Scorpius and Rose. They're always talking about books together in the library. I don't think there's anything between them, but I could see it. Isn't having the same interests supposed to be a good thing?"

"Yes, it is," Harry allowed. "But relationships often require, well, feelings, and I never got the impression that the two of them had those for each other."

"You didn't know what they were like together during first year though. Except through my letters."

"You're right, I didn't."

Harry seemed poised to say something else before he decided against it and changed the topic.

"Are you going to talk to him about it?" he asked, the gentleness returning to his voice.

"I don't know," Albus admitted.

"You need to focus on what's right for you," Harry said, "but I recommend that you talk to him about it. He's your best friend. He cares for you. That's obvious to anyone who's seen the two of you together. You're not going to tell him anything that scares him away."

"It's still embarrassing, isn't it? To tell someone you have feelings for them if they don't feel the same way?"

"It's terrifying, but do you know how many relationships there would be if no one ever admitted their feelings? Next to none. It's how all relationships start. I didn't know if your mum liked me or not before I kissed her in the middle of the common room, and look how that turned out."

Albus scrunched his nose in disgust.

"I don't need to hear that story again, Dad. Once was enough for a lifetime."

"It's not like it's anything graphic," Harry said with a smirk. "We didn't do anything but kiss. You've seen us do that loads of times."

"Yeah, and I'd rather not have. Besides, it's more the mushiness of it than anything."

"Ah." Harry leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms against his chest. "I see. Just remember the reason why you're on this earth."

"Yeah, yeah," Albus said.

He paused for a moment, thinking back to what Harry had been saying before.

"How did you get the courage to do it? Confess to Mum, I mean."

Harry's smile was a sappy one that almost made Albus roll his eyes.

"I didn't so much confess as show her how I felt."

"I don't think I could work up the courage to kiss Scorpius out of the blue. I'd have a heart attack before I managed it, and it sounds like an all around bad idea. I don't even know… I don't even know how he feels about boys, let alone me."

"Maybe you've identified your first move on your own. Tell him that you're bisexual. He's your best friend. He'll be happy you shared that with him, and if he does like boys, then you've given him a chance to tell you. You can always decide on your next move after you've had that conversation first."

"But if I tell him about being bi, I don't know if I could hold my feelings for him in. It's killing me, Dad. I've never had a secret from Scorpius before. Not ever. And I don't think he's had any from me. I feel like a liar for not telling him, especially when it has to do with him."

"You shouldn't," Harry reassured him. "If what you've told me is any indication, you will tell him eventually, but you can't do that until you're ready to. You're not doing anything wrong by having feelings for Scorpius, Albus, whether you tell him about it or not. It's not something you can help."

"But I can choose to tell him."

"You can, but not doing so isn't inherently bad. I watched your uncle Ron and aunt Hermione fall in love for seven years before they said anything to each other. Merlin knows how long we'd have waited for one of them to make a move if we hadn't been in a war."

"But I've heard Aunt Hermione angrily rant about Uncle Ron not confessing sooner."

"Yeah, well, she does sometimes, but it's not like she has room to talk. She didn't say anything either. Granted, we were in the middle of a war that I broke up with Ginny for, so I can't blame them. And Hermione isn't angry about it. Not really. It's just something she says when she's irritated with Ron about something else."

"I know," Albus said quietly.

He stood abruptly.

"I just wish there wasn't this extra barrier I have to go through."

"Me too," Harry said to Albus's surprise.

Albus offered his dad a small smile while he stretched after sitting in the chair for too long.

"I'll let you get back to work," he said, glancing at Harry's desk, which was scattered with abandoned slips of parchment full of important, if boring, information. "I'm sure you have loads to do."

"You'd think people would lay off breaking the law around Christmas," Harry grumbled. "Instead, they seem more gung-ho about it than usual."

Albus nodded, though he wasn't paying attention. Harry had been saying the same thing every Christmas since Albus was a kid.

"While you do that, I'm going to try and not be bored. Maybe I'll read a book for once. Or help Kreacher bake more Christmas cookies. He's on a kick with those."

Harry grimaced. The entire family was familiar with how packed the kitchen had recently been with various baked goods, not typically a specialty of Kreacher's. They'd barely had room on the table to eat dinner the night before.

"Good luck getting him to let you so much as wash the dishes," Harry said.

He was already back at his desk and trying to sort the parchment into manageable piles.

Albus left him to it, feeling a new bounce in his step as he wandered down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. Even if Kreacher wouldn't let him help, he would let him eat as many sweets as he wanted, one of the few exceptions Kreacher made to obeying the orders set out by Ginny Potter.


	8. Chapter 8

Christmas itself passed much the same as always. Scorpius had received enough books to keep him occupied for months, and much of the train ride back to Hogwarts had been him and Rose sorting through them, with Scorpius telling Rose and Albus all about the one he'd already managed to read cover to cover. Twice.

Classes started where they'd left off in December except with more freedom. The Gryffindors had gone long enough without any bullying that Professor McGonagall announced the first night back that the usual rules applied once again. Students had cheered; Scorpius had been nervous. Albus had been too preoccupied to think much of anything about it.

Despite the conversation with his dad, he hadn't yet tried to discuss anything out of the ordinary with Scorpius. Their friendship was the same as it had always been. At least on the outside.

On the inside, Albus was more aware than ever of what it was that he felt. He'd known for ages, but Christmas had been when he'd let his feelings consume him in a new way. He'd let himself daydream about what it would be like if Scorpius did return his feelings. He let himself embrace the fact that he was beyond infatuated with his best friend who likely didn't even like guys.

Scorpius's presence was suddenly far more distracting than it had been previously. Walking through the halls, Albus found himself tripping at times because his eyes were to the side instead of in front of him.

Classes were over for the day, which meant their current walk from Trelawny's tower was a casual one. They felt no hurry to get back to the dungeons, which lay as far from the Divination classroom as any part of the castle could get. It was more of a hike than a walk.

Trelawny had made a grand prediction about one of their classmate's futures at the end of class. Chad Burden was destined to spend time in Azkaban for "a crime too gruesome to name", which the whole class had found laughable as Chad had thrown a fit when someone had tried to kill a fly during Charms in second year.

Scorpius had spent the past several minutes explaining the evidence that pointed towards Trelawny being "mostly a fraud who occasionally spouts a real prophecy", but Albus heard little of it.

His mind was focused on the way his skin tingled from the sound of Scorpius's voice. Despite the space between them, Albus swore he could feel the heat that Scorpius was radiating. It was immensely distracting when Albus did want to hear what Scorpius had to say.

As they walked, Albus found himself drifting closer and then further away from him, suddenly uncertain what was an appropriate distance to stand from your friend that you certainly didn't have feelings for.

He was trying to add more distance—without it being noticed—by taking slower steps when they turned a corner and found Rose pacing in front of a stretch of blank stone wall.

She paused in her pacing, back towards them, before swearing loudly enough that they could hear it from down the corridor.

"This isn't the room then," Albus said.

His voice startled Rose, who spun around so quickly that she had to hold a hand to her head until the dizziness faded.

"No," she said bitterly. "It's not. It was the third time I've tested this stretch of wall anyway. It seems like the perfect spot for it. As far as I can tell, this is the midpoint of the entire castle."

"Wouldn't it be disingenuous to hide something in the center of everything?" Scorpius asked, looking towards Albus for backup.

Albus didn't say anything, but he did find himself smiling as soon they were looking at each other. Immediately, he tried to quell it, to make it less obvious. This had been happening with even more frequency since returning from London, and he considered it a huge problem. He could feel the way his infatuation was written on his face.

"Not necessarily," Rose said. "Sometimes your best bet is hiding things in plain sight. That's why I thought it might be here. This is one of the most heavily travelled parts of the school. It's so hectic through here most days that who's going to check for the Room of Requirement?"

"Lots of people would still try it. Like you," Albus said, earning himself a glare.

"Wherever I'm going to find it, it won't be in some far flung corner of the castle," Rose said. "I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something obvious. I have to have passed the room before."

"Maybe you've paced in front of it but the room knows that you don't actually _need_ it," Scorpius suggested.

Rose frowned, kicking at the ground.

"But I do need it."

She let out a growl of frustration that caused Albus to lift an eyebrow.

"For what?" he questioned.

Rose only then realized what she had said. She shrugged as if it were no big deal, but there was something fake to her uncaring posture.

"Not for anything big," she said. "I've been making some plans that I need the room for, but they're not completely thought out yet, so I'd rather you ask about them later."

"Okay," Albus replied slowly. "You let us know when you're ready to talk about this shady plan of yours."

Rose nodded, her attention already back on finding the room.

"I'm going to keep looking for now," she said. "My plan is to keep moving up. There are still a couple corridors to check again on the fourth floor."

"You do that," Albus said.

"Good luck!" Scorpius called to Rose's back as she hurried down the hall.

She tossed a halfhearted wave over her shoulder, disappearing in the same direction from which Scorpius and Albus had come.


	9. Chapter 9

The newly reacquired free (or at least loosened) reigns lasted far less time than anyone had anticipated. Scorpius and Albus had spent their Friday afternoon on the grounds where, due to the cold weather, they had seen hardly anyone.

Upon entering the Great Hall, cheeks flushed red both from the cold and their laughter, they were quelled to silence by the oppressive sense of unease that permeated the hall.

Scorpius leaned towards Albus and whispered, "What's going on?"

"How should I know? I was outside with you."

He regretted how frustrated he sounded even as the words were coming out of his mouth. Said frustration was entirely to do with Scorpius leaning close enough that Albus had felt his breath in his ear, causing shivers to erupt down his spine that were downright embarrassing.

Scorpius didn't pick up on Albus's tone though. He was too busy looking at the gathered students. Albus had to gently take his arm, willing himself not to do something stupid with the contact, and guide Scorpius to two empty seats at the end of the Slytherin table.

"Half the staff table is empty," Scorpius said, staring in that direction while Albus began to scoop food onto his plate.

Albus pushed the platter of salmon towards Scorpius and looked for himself. The estimate might have been on the lower end. The table appeared to be more than half empty. None of the few professors who remained were eating, and Albus got the impression that it wasn't because they had finished. They watched the students, frowns on each of their faces.

Professor McGonagall was, quite noticeably, one of the many professors whose chair was empty. Hagrid took up his usual seat and looked as worried as Albus had ever seen him.

"Weird," Albus said.

He quickly lost focus when he glanced down and saw that Scorpius hadn't put anything on his plate. Scorpius followed his gaze and, after realizing it himself, reached blindly for the nearest dish.

"Ask someone what's going on," he urged, dumping a spoonful of runner beans onto his plate.

Albus glanced around. There were empty seats on either side of them. Now that he thought about it, there were fewer students in the hall as well, not just professors. The Slytherin table was particularly sparse.

"Rachel," Albus called to the student closest to them and one of the few housemates that he was on a first name basis with.

While he'd tried to say her name quietly enough to not attract attention, the students around her turned to look along with her.

Rachel turned to them in surprise though she smiled when she realized who had called her name. After saying something brief to her friends, she slid down the bench, coming to rest beside Scorpius, who was once again ignoring his food.

"Hey, guys," she greeted. Before either of them could ask, she continued, "Did you hear about what happened to Scarlett Newfeld?"

"Who's Scarlett Newfeld?" Scorpius asked.

"A first year Slytherin," Rachel said.

She leaned over the table and spoke lowly, tossing a suspicious glance over her shoulder towards the other house tables.

"She was attacked an hour ago by a group of Gryffindors, the same ones who were causing trouble before."

Albus couldn't stop himself from glancing at the Gryffindor table and noticed that it was almost as empty as Slytherin. There was a noticeable difference compared to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

"They all look mad," Scorpius commented, twisting his body to get a glimpse of Gryffindor for himself.

"I would be too if I were them," Rachel said. "They'll be blamed for it, and I'm sure some Slytherins will get revenge."

"What did they do to Scarlett?" Albus asked. "This isn't like the other times, is it? The hall has never been like this."

Rachel's frown deepened. She tossed another glance over her shoulder.

"Scarlett's been sent to St Mongo's. Everything else that everyone's saying is rumour and nothing more, but," she hesitated, "people are saying that they may have really hurt her. We're talking disfigurement if the rumours are true. Some have said it's irreversible."

"Why?" Scorpius asked in alarm. "Why would they go so far?"

He could vividly remember being cornered by that group of Gryffindors earlier in the year and being saved by James only at the last minute. Hearing the news about Scarlett added a new layer of horror to an experience that he had managed to distance himself from.

Rachel shifted in her seat, eyes glancing around before she spoke. This seemed to be the part of the rumours that made her the most uncomfortable.

"Some of the Gryffindors said the bullies found proof that Scarlett is a werewolf, that she's been using the Shrieking Shack all year during the full moon. Like Remus Lupin did, you know?"

While Albus was shocked, he was distracted by the sight of a group of his siblings and cousins at the Gryffindor table. They looked pissed like so many others in their house He was tempted to go over to them and see what they knew, but he was worried that, in the present climate, it would cause the tensions to erupt.

"What sort of proof?" Albus asked. "What could they have found out?"

"No one knows," Rachel said with a shrug. "That's a big reason why I wouldn't trust the rumours, but if she is a werewolf, who knows if she'll come back to school. Whatever they did, it had to be traumatic, but to have to face all that prejudice on top of what was done to you. And there's the risk that someone else would try it again, even if she's not a werewolf. Rumours persist."

"What I don't understand," Scorpius said slowly, "is why they attacked her. Was it because she was a Slytherin or because they thought she was a werewolf?"

"Who knows? I certainly can't get into those boys' heads. It was messed up whatever their reasons were. We'd just gotten back our privileges too. That's ruined. I guarantee that tomorrow McGonagall makes an announcement that we're going back to how things were before Christmas."

Rachel was right. The next morning, notices were posted on each common room notice board stating that the rules from before Christmas were once again in effect.

XXX

Albus's perspective on the Slytherin common room had changed over the previous three and a half years. Albus still felt it was a tad too green at times, but there were positive qualities that stood out in his mind, like his favorite plush chair that sunk in just right when he sat in it or the calming look of the water pressing against the windows that had used to freak him out.

With the newly reinstated restrictions on their movement around the castle, the common room had become one of the only places to hang out.

The boys who had gone after Scarlett had been expelled, despite pushback from their parents, and no other Gryffindors had attempted anything since the incident. Yet many, if not most, of the Slytherins refused to let their guard down anywhere but their own house's common room and dormitories.

Scorpius, in particular, wanted to spend less and less time in the library, which now required far more effort just to get there. He flat out refused to be there without either Albus or Rose, but a situation the day before when a rowdy group of Gryffindors had made him uncomfortable and made him cry had prompted him to refuse to leave the Slytherin dungeons that Saturday, with Albus bringing him both breakfast and lunch.

Albus watched him closely. Though they were ensconced in the protection of the common room, he was worried and also angry that he hadn't been there to help. He'd blown up at Rose the day before, accusing her of not doing enough, and he hadn't cared, in the moment, that she'd looked torn up about it herself. Scorpius was always more sensitive after something like this happened, and even the common room could be overwhelming. They'd gone down to their dormitory several times earlier in the day, but Scorpius had insisted only minutes ago that he was feeling well enough to sit in the common room again.

Their current table was in a far corner of the room, and Scorpius's back faced the rest of the students, allowing him to block them out.

Albus was getting no work done as he watched his best friend.

"How's the essay coming along?" he asked.

He'd been doing this frequently, asking Scorpius questions just to get him to talk.

The blonde boy didn't answer at first, too focused on what he was writing. Albus watched him, and once he was pretty sure Scorpius had come to the end of a paragraph, he tried again. This time, he reached out to tap his hand against the table near Scorpius's arm.

"Scorpius."

The boy in question looked up, eyes wide and questioning.

"How's the essay coming along?"

Scorpius blinked several times as he digested the question. Albus watched him patiently, knowing that eventually he would either answer or ask Albus to repeat himself.

"It's going well," Scorpius finally said, glancing down at the paper.

He was still in a bit of a daze, which sometimes happened whenever he got too involved in homework or a book; however, it happened more frequently when his anxiety grew bad.

"Have you written anything about the wrist movement?" Albus asked. "You know I always struggle with that part. I can do it just fine, but I never know how to describe it in a way that makes sense to other people."

Scorpius grinned.

"And I've told you before that you don't have to describe it. That's not something Flitwick asked for in the essay."

"But if I could, I could make it take up at least an inch, and that's an inch less that I have to write about something more difficult."

Scorpius couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"The other stuff might not be more difficult considering how impossible it is for you to describe wrist movements."

Albus shrugged.

"Besides," Scorpius continued, "didn't Flitwick write on your last essay that you didn't need to have gone on so long about the exact size of a loop one should make with their wand to cast a perfect _Muffliato_."

"But it's an important detail if one wishes to cast the spell correctly."

Scorpius shook his head fondly, doing his best to keep his laughter quiet enough that it wouldn't disturb any of the other students. Albus watched him as he turned back to his essay, scribbling something down at a faster rate than Albus could have managed to remember information.

A glance down at his own parchment reminded Albus that he had been far less productive. His essay wasn't half the length of Scorpius's though they'd spent an equal amount of time on the assignment. At least, they had in theory; in reality, Albus knew that far too much of his time had been spent slyly watching Scorpius work.

"It's weird," Scorpius said out of the blue.

Albus had only just picked up his quill, but he let his hand fall back against the table as he looked at Scorpius. The other boy had paused in his writing, though he was staring down at the parchment in thought.

"What's that?"

It took several moments for Scorpius to answer as he gathered his thoughts.

"Several years ago I hated this place."

He glanced behind him at the rest of the common room, where their classmates lounged around and paid them no attention.

"I would have much rather have been in the dormitory or the library then, but now I kind of like it in here."

Albus glanced around, too, and really looked at the place.

"It does feel different, doesn't it?"

Over the past five years, the Slytherin common room had been his home. Once you had lived through ups and downs in a certain place, it was harder to associate it with only one emotion rather than the whole span of them that you'd experienced there. The common room was far more complex to him now than it had been when he was eleven, but then, it felt simpler too.

"What's brought this up suddenly?" Albus asked Scorpius, who shrugged.

"I've been thinking about it a lot since third year."

Albus's heart sank. Even without the way Scorpius's voice had begun to quiver with emotion, he would have known what had changed during third year.

"The Manor started to feel different," Scorpius whispered, forcing Albus to lean over the table to hear him better. "When I came back to Hogwarts, I guess I expected it to feel different too, but it didn't. Things were exactly the same except for with me. That's when I realized that I didn't hate the common room anymore. It was comforting, being here."

'Comforting' might not have been a word that Albus would have used, even as he looked over the common room again with Scorpius's words in mind. It certainly didn't feel as welcoming as his bed in the dormitory or his family's home in London.

The common room was a place he had grown fond of though. It was a place where he could relax without any side eyes from Gryffindors or whispers about his father (who the Slytherins cared for far less than the members of the other houses).

"It's never been that big of a deal," Scorpius continued. "I hadn't even thought about it for months until that thing with the Gryffindors earlier this year."

Albus frowned, watching Scorpius as he fiddled with the edge of his essay.

"And then there was the thing with Scarlett, so it's been on my mind recently."

"I understand."

Albus reached out, tugging Scorpius's hands away from his parchment before he could rip it and, instead, gripping them in his own.

"But remember what Professor McGonagall said yesterday at dinner? Scarlett's going to be fine once she takes a month to heal. It's not good, but she'll be okay. And those Gryffindors are gone. They'll never set foot in Hogwarts again."

"I know," Scorpius said. "And that's nice, I suppose. I wish it made me feel better, but it doesn't."

Albus's shoulders slumped.

"I know," he said. "I feel on edge too, like something might happen."

He looked at Scorpius for a few moments as the other boy looked down at the table, this time fiddling with his quill. Albus noticed that it was looking a little worse for wear. Chunks of the barbs were missing.

"But it will be okay." Albus's voice was forceful. "I promise."

Scorpius glanced up, grinning at him to make him happy. Albus wished it was genuine, and he smiled back, pretending that it was.


	10. Chapter 10

As the weather grew warm and the lack of violence led to a loosening of their bonds once more, Albus was occasionally able to convince Scorpius to spend time on the grounds, often under the same tree that they'd grown fond of during their first year.

It took more than a few trips, but over time, Scorpius grew less worried about being exposed to members of the other houses. They'd reached the point where Albus didn't need to keep his wand in his hand at all times in order to ease Scorpius's anxiety.

Of course, Albus had a lot of help from the nature that surrounded the castle. The grounds were more vibrant than they'd been during winter. Leaves were appearing on their tree once again, and though he couldn't understand it, Albus loved the way Scorpius inspected the tree every day to catalogue the changes.

There was even a squirrel (Scorpius insisted it was the same squirrel) that Scorpius spotted and had a one-sided conversation with every time they sat beneath the tree. Albus found it endlessly endearing, embarrassingly so.

He was watching Scorpius ask the squirrel what his favorite type of nut was, explaining that his were walnuts, while the squirrel nibbled on a green hazelnut.

Scorpius was so enthralled by the squirrel and Albus so enthralled by Scorpius that neither boy noticed Rose approaching until she came to a halt in front of them, bent over at the side and panting.

"Is something wrong?" Albus asked.

Rose shook her head, but it took a few more deep breaths before she could straighten up and speak.

"Come with me," she said, turning around and heading straight back towards the castle.

Albus and Scorpius shared a look. Albus was annoyed, as he was every time Rose shot off demands and expected them to be followed, but he was also curious. Both boys hurriedly got to their feet, thankful that they hadn't brought anything outside with them except the one book that Scorpius was currently reading.

Rose was already far ahead of them, and though she wasn't running anymore, they weren't able to catch up with her until she was ascending the Grand Staircase.

"Rose," Albus called, hoping to slow her down as well as get her attention, "where is it that we're going?"

She didn't glance back at him, but she did slow her pace.

"The seventh floor," she said before hurrying off again.

Albus groaned. While he would have liked to think of himself as being in shape, he wasn't an athlete like Rose, the star Quidditch player, and hurrying up multiple flights of stairs was easier for her than it was him. Scorpius was panting beside him, but his longer legs gave him an advantage and had Albus pushing himself even further not to be left behind.

"So," Albus tried again, struggling to make it sound as if he wasn't breathing heavily, "the Gryffindor common room?"

It was the only thing he knew of on the seventh floor other than the stairwell that led to Professor Trelawney's classroom. Considering Rose's distaste for that particular subject, he couldn't imagine she was leading them there.

"Not the common room," Rose replied.

Albus silently cursed the fact that she didn't sound winded. How quickly had she travelled coming to see them if this was an easily sustainable pace for her?

"Is it the room?" Scorpius asked. "Did you find it?"

Rose nodded her head frantically as if, now that she'd been asked, she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Really‽" Albus exclaimed before she could speak.

"I did. I found it," Rose replied, sounding breathless for the first time as they hurried up the stairs from the fourth to the fifth floor corridor. "It was right there all along. Remember when I said that it felt like it was right under my nose? Well, it was. Right there next to the common room."

None of them said anything else until they'd reached the seventh floor. Rose was intent on getting to their destination, and both of the boys felt stunned. The Room of Requirement was a Hogwarts legend, especially since the war, and as far as they knew, only a select few had ever found it.

The corridor the staircase deposited them in wasn't the corridor that housed the Fat Lady. This one appeared to be less travelled, though Rose checked carefully for other students before she began pacing the length of the hall.

Albus and Scorpius stood at the top of the stairs, with Scorpius rocking back and forth in anticipation.

The wall Rose paced in front of was nothing but a blank expanse of stone, just like Rose had always guessed the wall that hid the room would be, but across from it hung a tapestry depicting trolls doing ballet, which, incredibly, was not the strangest image that could be found hanging on a Hogwarts wall.

Once she'd paced the requisite three times, Rose took several steps back, and the boys moved to join her, all three of them staring in awe as a door appeared where there had been only stone before.

"The Room of Requirement," Rose murmured as if she were presenting something holy.

"It's real," Scorpius said in a similar tone.

Albus couldn't stop himself from taking a step forward, grasping the handle, and turning it.

"What did you ask it for?" he heard Scorpius ask Rose behind him, but he was already pushing it open to see for himself.

Before him was a large room separated into different sections that were each designed for a different purpose. Before he could analyze it more than that, Scorpius and Rose were pushing him out of the way.

"This is what I asked for," Rose declared.

She was as stunned by the inner contents of the room as the boys.

"It's exactly what I pictured," she said with a bright smile.

She hurried towards one of the couches that sat around a fireplace larger than the one in the Slytherin common room and flung herself upon it. With a giggle, Scorpius followed after her at a similar pace.

Albus remained in the doorway where he was able to take in the entirety of the space. The room felt remarkably like a common room except in house-neutral colours like browns, tans, and greys. Somehow, the colour scheme didn't make the room appear dark. Everything was in light tones, and the fireplace, despite a low fire burning, wasn't the primary source of light. Albus looked around but couldn't detect where the light was coming from. There was enough of it that the space was well lit, far better lit than the Slytherin common room.

He began to walk towards the fireplace, but he did it slower than his friends, still inspecting the room. Rose had her eyes closed as she laid back on the couch, a small smile on her lips as she basked in the glory of her creation.

"There are a lot of seats in here," Scorpius said, voicing the same thought that Albus had been having.

He took a seat beside Scorpius as Rose opened her eyes to smirk at them.

Scorpius continued, "Surely we don't need this many couches for just the three of us."

Rose shook her head and sat up, giving the room a once over before speaking.

"We don't, no, but this is a prototype."

Scorpius mouthed the word, "prototype," and then asked out loud, "Prototype for what?"

Albus's eyes narrowed as he watched Rose.

He repeated his earlier observation for their benefit. "It looks like a common room."

When Rose's smile grew larger, he knew that he was on to something.

"You want to use it like a common room," he said.

"But even if we use it like a common room, why would we need this many seats?" Scorpius asked before Rose could speak.

"Because we're not the only ones who are going to use it," Rose said.

She stood and began walking around the room and stopping here or there to inspect something. Every so often, she'd nod approvingly. The bookshelf that lined one wall particularly pleased her, and she ran a finger along the spines of the books on a shelf at her eye level, reading the titles.

"Who else is going to use it?" Scorpius asked. "The rest of the Weasleys?"

"Hopefully them, but I don't want to stop there."

She was still walking around the room and was giving off the air of someone showing off.

"Over the summer I started thinking about how this place could be somewhere where people hang out. Think about it. It can be whatever we want it to be. Is that not the perfect place for people to spend time? We could change it up to be whatever we want, whenever we want."

Albus had to turn so that he was looking over the back of the couch, arm draped over it, to see Rose. Scorpius made to turn too, but once he was looking at Albus, he stopped there, not looking at Rose. There was a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.

It was Albus who spoke next.

"You're going to turn this place into the room that you always wanted," he said. "You want all the houses to hang out here."

"It's a good idea, isn't it?" Rose asked instead of directly answering. "Hogwarts needs a place like that, I've always said, and this is better than any other room we could find for it. Think about how many people would want to see the Room of Requirement. That alone would get them to come no matter what they think of my idea, and once they see that the room can easily transform into what they want, they'll stay."

"I don't know that that will make them stay," Albus said. "I think it's just as likely that they'd come back later and use the room on their own. It can be hidden too, right? If someone asks the room for it? Who's to say someone wouldn't take the room and do that?"

Rose walked back over to where Albus and Scorpius sat. She reclaimed the couch she had been lying on before, but this time she remained sitting. Her arms were crossed against her chest, but she sat upright and proud.

"That's much harder to do if everyone knows where the room is. It could be hidden, but we'd know it was there. We'd know that someone had 'taken' it, so to speak."

"Rose," Albus said, "you're doing that thing again where you're caught up in an idea, so you're throwing out all the possible things that could go wrong without thinking about them."

Rose rolled her eyes. "My mum was exaggerating when she said I do that. She was just mad that I'd broken Hugo's arm because I never thought that Muggle trampoline would break. Aren't they built not to?"

"Are Muggle trampolines built to withstand magically induced jumps of over twenty feet in the air?"

There was no response from Rose, who had gone momentarily deaf and been unable to hear the question.

"People will want to hang out here," she said. "They will. It's the Room of Requirement for Merlin's sake. Besides, I'll have plenty of help getting people here. I have a bigger family than anyone else in this school, and they all either owe me a favour or are kind enough to help me without expecting anything."

"Do I fall into either of those categories?" Albus asked.

"The latter," Rose said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Kind of. You'll show up no matter how much you complain about it. Under other circumstances you might not, but Scorpius would convince you. He's your conscience."

Her last statement startled Scorpius, who looked at her with wide eyes.

"I had a conscience before I met Scorpius," Albus asserted, glaring at his cousin. "Not wanting to help with every single plan you come up with doesn't mean I don't have a conscience."

"Whatever," Rose said. She fell against the back of the couch, stretching out with her arms folded behind her head. "I'll get people to start hanging out here."

XXX

All of Albus's cousins and siblings were more popular than he was. Each of them had plenty of people who they could drag to the room if needed, but the seventh years among them had spent the entirety of their Hogwarts careers achieving notoriety that, these days, gave them a level of influence that Albus couldn't dream of having.

They knew it, too, and used it to its full advantage. Albus knew that his brother considered himself part of Hogwarts' elite, matched only by his twin cousins and the two other members of their little group: Felicia and Malcolm.

The latter two were newer additions to their group. Felicia and Malcolm, who had always been each other's best friends, had shared a dorm with James and Fred for years, and they'd been friendly, if not extremely close. In their fifth year, Felicia had informed everyone that she didn't feel comfortable in the boys' dormitories, and Professor McGonagall had granted her permission to switch.

It had caused an uproar with some around the castle, and James's love of controversy was second only to his love of attention. He'd told Albus several months later that he'd been impressed by how Felicia had handled people being terrible to her. Fast forward a year and James was dating her and all five of them were inseparable.

Perhaps due to their popularity, they were also the last of group to arrive at the Room of Requirement. They gathered around one couch, ignoring Rose as she stood in front of the group and tapped her foot impatiently.

"I said to be here ten minutes ago," she said. Though her anger was supposedly towards the whole group, her glare was directed at James.

James looked at her for the first time and raised an eyebrow, shrugging as he leaned against the couch.

They faced off silently for several moments before Rose broke and said, "Whatever. We have things to attend to."

Most of the family were still looking around the room, seemingly impressed. This pleased Rose, who brightened instantaneously as she began her prepared remarks.

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement."

She opened her arms, which caused a few of their cousins to laugh. Albus groaned and dropped his head to rest of the back of the couch.

"Can this be over?" he muttered to Scorpius, earning himself a grin.

Rose, thankfully, hadn't noticed that he'd said anything as she continued.

"You're looking at the new All Houses Common Room."

There was an immediate reaction from everyone. Some, like James and Roxanne, openly laughed. Others, like Albus, merely cringed.

"Is that really what you're calling it?" Lucy asked.

Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Yes," she replied firmly.

They stared each other down. Albus sighed and sank further down on the couch. If there was a Weasley cousin who was anywhere near as controlling as Rose, it was Lucy, who would undoubtedly weasel her way into being Rose's second-in-command for this project now that she'd been let in on it. And then they'd argue for the next three years over something that no one else cared about.

"What would you recommend it be called, Luce?"

Rose glared at Fred for daring to ask such a question.

"I don't have any ideas presently," Lucy said. "But I could write up a list if given time. Something catchy, something that people would _want_ to say."

Rose's answer was spoken slowly and with emphasis. "'All Houses Common Room' is practical and lets everyone know what it is without an explanation."

"Practical, sure," Lucy said with a shrug. "Everyone will know what it is anyway though. Word spreads. What we really need is something catchy that they'll have fun saying. It'll make them want to visit."

Several of the cousins were struggling to contain their laughter. With another groan, Albus let his head fall onto Scorpius's shoulder. He heard the sharp intake of breath that Scorpius took and tried not to dwell on it for long. After a second, Scorpius reached for his hand, gripping it in his own.

"You okay?" Scorpius whispered.

Albus hoped the shiver he'd felt travel down his spine hadn't been noticeable to the other boy.

"Fine," he said in a petulant voice. "I just wish they'd shut up. Who cares what it's called?"

He felt Scorpius shrug as his own head bobbed up and down with it.

"Besides," Lucy continued, "All Houses Common Room is too long. It's a mouthful. We need something shorter, probably one or two words."

Lily raised her hand as if requesting permission to speak but then went ahead and did so anyway.

"Is there a reason we can't call it the Room of Requirement? That's what it is anyway."

Rose's cheeks were red, and her eyes looked liable to shoot fire at the next person who said something she didn't approve of.

"We can worry about the name later," she conceded. "What's important is that we promote the All Houses Common Room and get people to use it. We need to spread word and sell it as the best spot in the castle to hang out, to study, anything really."

"You sure you want to tell the entire school where the Room of Requirement is?" James asked. "Why not use it for ourselves? Think about what we could do with it."

Rose didn't like the looks that James and his friends shared, ones that hinted their use of the room wouldn't follow school rules. Even Lily giggled as if she, too, would like to use the room for something. Only Louis looked like he disapproved of the idea as much as Rose did.

"No," Rose stated firmly. "If everyone knows about the room, people are far less likely to use it for nefarious purposes."

James mouthed 'nefarious' mockingly, but Rose ignored him.

"I've also spoken to Neville about helping. He's appealing to the teachers, including McGonagall. He thinks it's a great idea and said that he's sure the rest of the staff will too, so we don't have to worry about anyone getting in trouble for being here."

"Where's the fun in that?" Roxanne asked, prompting snickering.

Rose exhaled loudly but didn't answer.

"Are you going to help or not?" she asked, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Of course we are," James said, holding his hand to his chest in mock offense. "We're family, dear Rosie. Remember how we helped you bake that cake for Uncle Ron's birthday. We knew that would be a disaster, but we did it anyway."

"It was only a disaster because you wouldn't measure any of the ingredients," Rose shot back.

She looked at each of them, getting nods and words of agreement.

"Great," she said, clapping her hands together. "Then all we need to do is start spreading the word. We've got Gryffindor covered." She motioned to herself and many of the others. "Lucy has Ravenclaw, and Albus and Scorpius can talk to Slytherins."

Albus felt Scorpius stiffen, and he squeezed his hand, whispering, "I'll do it," and feeling him relax.

"What we need to think about is Hufflepuff," Rose continued. "With Victoire gone, none of us are in that House, but we need to make sure that we get the word to them anyway. The idea should appeal to them, so hopefully, once we tell a few people, they'll spread the word themselves."

"My sister's a Hufflepuff," Malcolm informed the others. "I can talk to her."

"Awesome. That would be very helpful. Thank you."

Malcolm offered her a slight nod of the head.

"So," Rose said, "everyone knows what they're going to do?"

There was a series of nods. Albus got the feeling that he wasn't the only one who wanted Rose's lecture to be over.

"Make sure you explain how to get into the room. I'll be spending as much time here as possible, and hopefully you guys will be too. There may be professors here sometimes. I'm not sure on that yet. But I'd like for people to start showing up as soon as possible."

"We've got this, Rose," Roxanne reassured her. "This place will be packed in no time."

XXX

Scorpius twirled the quill between his fingers, making it blur.

"I still don't think they'll want to go," he said quietly. "They know as well as we do that the other houses won't want us there."

"I don't think they will either, but I told Rose I'd do it. If she's going to accuse me of not properly getting the word out when no Slytherins show up, then I'd like to have the truth as back up."

Scorpius glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the common room. It was the busiest time of day, with almost every seat taken.

His eyes roved over the room, trying to decide who the easiest target would be.

"Rachel," he said as soon as he saw her.

"You should definitely talk to her," Scorpius said. "She's always nice, so there's no chance she'll laugh at you."

Scorpius was right that Rachel would be nice. She'd grown fond of the two of them since the first time she'd spoken to them in their first year, and she'd become the closest thing they had to a friend who was older than them. She'd looked after them at times, when she thought they needed it.

"She's also a seventh year," Albus said. "That would give her more sway, right?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Maybe. Either way, she'd probably go at least once if you asked, and that would make Rose happy."

Rachel was popular, so it wasn't a surprise to see six other students with her. That was why Albus and Scorpius didn't speak to her often.

If he went up to her now, they'd all hear his speech, and he couldn't be sure that most of them would be as kind as Rachel. He dreaded the thought of having to put up with any nonsense, but catching Rachel alone was nearly impossible.

"I'm going for it," he said decisively, standing up from the table.

Scorpius tilted his head to watch him, looking sympathetic.

"Good luck," he said as Albus left him.

Rachel noticed him coming before any of her friends did, and her smile remained as bright as it had been when she was laughing with her friends. She was perched in an armchair and gave off the impression of being the leader of the group.

"Albus, hi," she greeted brightly.

The others turned to look at Albus as he raised a hand in a short wave.

"Hi."

"What have you been up to lately?" Rachel asked before Albus could get into the reason why he'd come over.

"Oh." He was thrown off, not having expected to talk about anything other than his request. "Not much except, well… See, Rose found the Room of Requirement, and she wants to make it into a common room for all the houses to hang out in together. So she's asked a bunch of us to spread the word."

Two of the girls were sniggering quietly behind their hands, and all of them appeared amused. Rachel was the only one who had a smile that Albus didn't think was supposed to be insulting.

"That sounds like an interesting idea," she said as brightly as before.

Albus exhaled at the small success.

"It's kind of cringe-worthy to be honest," he said. "But Rose is my cousin, so I agreed to help her to get her off my back. I'd totally understand if you didn't come, but at least I can tell her that I tried."

"I wouldn't mind going actually."

Several of Rachel's friends rolled their eyes. One of them groaned.

"I wouldn't," she said, this time directly to her friends. "You know how I feel about those stupid rivalries. I think it's cool that Granger-Weasley is trying to do something about it. What harm can going and looking around do?"

The boy on the rug spoke up, an arm slung over his face.

"We might have to listen to Granger-Weasley drone on about inter-house unity."

Everyone but Rachel and Albus laughed. Despite agreeing with the boy's depiction of Rose, Albus felt offended on her behalf.

"I doubt it," Albus said. "She just wants people to spend time there, not to make speeches."

"Does she know how to not do that?" one of the girls asked.

Albus felt his cheeks heating up. While he'd known there were a number of ways this could go wrong, he hadn't expected himself to get so worked up defending Rose.

"Sometimes," he said shortly. "Actually, I'm sure she'll reserve the speeches for whoever she doesn't see in the room."

"I'll be there," Rachel told him. Her smile was gentler, as if she felt the need to compensate for her friends' reactions. "I'm sure a few of these guys will be too, whatever they're saying now. They like being difficult."

None of them had a response to that other than a few amused smirks and shared looks.

"Thanks," Albus told Rachel, ignoring the others.

He waved goodbye and made his way back over to Scorpius, hearing the group start talking and laughing behind him.

Scorpius was watching him as he returned. His eyes lingered on the group that Albus had left, and Albus was sure that he'd been able to see how they'd been acting as Albus had tried to talk to them.

"How'd it go?" he asked as Albus sat down.

Albus shrugged.

"It could have been worse. Rachel will go at least, so Rose gets that. I'm not sure about the others even though Rachel said some of them would."

Scorpius glanced over his shoulder.

"They don't look like they agreed to that."

"No," Albus agreed. "Rachel just thinks the best of people, but maybe she'll drag them along when she goes."

Scorpius shifted in his seat, fiddling with the pages of the book that was open in front of him.

"You don't think they'll start an argument with Rose or anything, do you? If Rachel drags them along?"

"I don't know," Albus admitted. "Maybe, but Rose can handle herself. It'll be fine."

He offered Scorpius a smile, and Scorpius smiled back even though the worry hadn't faded from his eyes.

"Are you going to say anything to any other Slytherins?" he asked.

Albus glanced around the room.

"Maybe later," he decided, "not today."

Tension drained from Scorpius's shoulders, and he turned back to his book with a relieved smile on his lips. Albus watched him for a bit too long before he could shake himself out of it and get back to his work.


	11. Chapter 11

Scorpius stayed close to Albus's side as they walked down the seventh floor corridor. Nothing from the Room could be heard outside of it, so there was no way to judge what kind of crowd they were walking into.

The door had remained visible, one of Rose's countless wishes that she'd been happy to see had worked.

"Ready?" Albus asked Scorpius, nudging him in the arm.

Scorpius nodded several times though he didn't look ready as he fiddled with the sleeves of his robes.

"It'll be fine," he muttered, and Albus wasn't sure if it had been meant for him or not.

Albus pushed the door open, and there was far more noise in the corridor than there had been before. Scorpius's hand shot out and wrapped itself around Albus's wrist. Albus smiled gently and tugged his hand off to grip it in his own instead.

There were a lot more people in the room than Albus had thought Rose could convince. Most of them were Gryffindors. Many of the seats had been filled, and it looked like more had been added since the last time they'd been in the room.

"Albus, Scorpius." Rose appeared at their side. "I'm glad you're here."

She was bouncing on her toes and glowing. Albus wondered if maybe she hadn't believed that anyone would show up either.

Truthfully, there weren't _that_ many people, but the room was just the right size to be full and Albus could see members of three houses as he looked around. He and Scorpius accounted for the fourth.

Rose was in her element.

"Rachel was here earlier," she said. "She brought along a couple of her friends. They weren't all that happy to be here at first, but I greeted them and showed them how to use the enchanted jukebox. They stayed for a couple of hours after that."

"You have an enchanted jukebox?" Scorpius asked in disbelief.

Rose gave a short nod and pointed over to a corner where, sure enough, a machine that must have been a jukebox was sitting against a wall.

"No one knows how to use it," she said with a frown, "so it's been sitting there turned off mostly. I think once people catch on, though, it'll be a lot more popular."

Scorpius, for his part, was in awe of the thing.

"I've never seen one before," he said. "Only read about them in a book once."

Albus wasn't sure what the thing was. All he knew was that it looked like a giant box with a lot of buttons. He let Scorpius drag him over to it. It was nice to see him loosening up in the room, more focused on his curiosity than his worries.

Rose followed them.

"If this is only the start, then I think I'm going to prove everyone wrong. Everyone who's come seems to leave happy. I'm going to make some tweaks to the room when I get a chance. People have been giving me ideas, and I think taking their advice is a great way to make them feel invested in the room. It's a team effort, not just mine."

Scorpius began pressing buttons on the jukebox, and it came to life. Albus could recognize Muggle CDs, like the ones Rose had received in the past from her Muggle grandparents, now that the machine was lit up. Scorpius flipped through the titles with interest. There was a mixture of wizard and what must have been Muggle music. Albus had never seen wizard music on a CD before.

"How many Slytherins have you seen?" Albus asked, though he dreaded the answer. Rachel was the only one he'd talked to.

"Just Rachel and her friends," Rose said, but she didn't sound bothered. "I have a feeling they'll be back, and hopefully they'll bring more people with them. No offense, Al, but I get the impression that they'd be better at influencing people than you."

"You wouldn't be wrong," Scorpius said, eyes still on the jukebox. "Rachel's one of the most popular kids in Slytherin. What she says is cool, but Albus and I make things uncool."

Albus rolled his eyes.

"Scorpius is right," he admitted. "Rachel has a ton of friends–"

"Albus, Rose, Scorpius."

The three of them whirled around to see Agustín approaching them, a butterbeer in his hands that he was gesturing with as he greeted them.

"You have butterbeer in here?" Scorpius asked as Agustín took the last several steps needed to reach them. "How? The room can't provide food or drinks."

"House elves love doing favours," Rose stated simply. "Though I don't believe it can be a permanent feature. I don't want to give them more work all the time, so I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let people come to expect it."

She shrugged and looked at the butterbeer in Agustín's hand as if she still weren't sure if she'd made the right decision.

"Well, it was nice of you to do it now anyway, Rose," Agustín said.

He had a strange air around him that was never present in class, and from the way he kept side eying her, this seemed to be caused by Rose's presence. Whatever it was, Rose wasn't bothering to acknowledge it.

"I know you three have been sitting together in Transfiguration, but how close have you all become?" Rose asked, her finger roving over the three of them and daring them to lie to her.

After watching Agustín hesitate for a second, Albus spoke up.

"We don't talk outside of class much," he said. "Just say hello in the corridors and whatnot."

"Oh," she said.

Agustín detected the disappointment in her answer, and his eyes widened. Albus had to stifle a laugh.

"That's still nice," Rose continued, causing Agustín to relax. "I only ask because any friendships between Gryffindors and Slytherins could help this place, you know? Though it would be nice if someone could befriend a Slytherin other than Albus and Scorpius."

Her eyes roved over the gathered students as if she were sizing each of them up. Albus wouldn't have been surprised if, in the future, he heard about Rose recruiting specific Gryffindors to make friends with Slytherins.

None of the Slytherins he knew would appreciate such a thing, but he didn't think Rose would get that.

"I can't place blame," she continued. "I haven't done my best either. I thought I would befriend Albus and Scorpius and it would be a nice sign, but it hasn't helped as much as I hoped it would. It wasn't until I was talking to Rachel earlier that I thought that I might be concentrating my efforts too much."

"This whole thing is a well-oiled machine to you, isn't it?" Agustín sounded both amused and impressed.

Scorpius mouthed the unfamiliar phrase 'well-oiled machine' but didn't ask about it, which was just as well as Agustín and Rose were too occupied with each other to acknowledge anyone else.

Rose had been startled by Agustín's question. One of her eyebrows was raised, and the sight of it caused Agustín to take a step away from her. Despite his fears, Rose wasn't angered by Agustín's remark as much as she was surprised and, then, amused if the smirk on her face was anything to go by.

"You don't achieve anything without a plan," she remarked, sending Agustín a wink.

She brushed her bushy hair over her shoulder and pivoted on one foot, heading in the direction of two Ravenclaw girls who had just entered the room and were looking around with inquisitive gazes.

"That was weird," Scorpius whispered. "What was that?"

"That," Albus said in disbelief, "was Rose flirting, I think, which was...weird to say the least."

Scorpius looked between Agustín and Rose as if he were seeing them differently.

"Oh," he said in muted surprise. "That's what was happening?"

"No," Agustín snapped.

A second later, he regretted his sharp tone and apologized to Scorpius.

"Your cousin makes me nervous, Albus. She's never done anything to me, but I know she could if she wanted to, and that's unnerving."

"Tell me about it," Albus said. He crossed his arms against his chest and tried to appear like an overprotective cousin, despite the grin that was struggling to break free. "What I don't understand is why that makes you want to snog her."

"I don't—"

At Albus's sceptical gaze, Agustín cut himself off. He rocked backward and forward on his feet before groaning.

"Maybe I wouldn't be entirely against snogging her," he admitted. "But it's not that big a deal. Really. It's not like I'm dreaming about her. Besides, Rose would be vicious to anyone who said they wanted to snog her if she didn't also want to snog them, and I'm not putting myself up for that kind of slaughter."

"Rose isn't the public humiliation type," Albus said. "She'd tease you privately. Besides, if it helps, I think she already knows you like her, mate."

"I don't think she'd be mean," Scorpius said. "She'd probably be mean if you lied about liking her. Rose doesn't like stuff like that, but she likes when people say what they're thinking. She told me that before, so if you told her you thought about snogging her, she'd like that you told the truth. At least, if she was telling me the truth and not doing that thing people do where they say they like something in people but don't actually."

"There you go," Albus said. "I agree with Scorpius. Just walk up to Rose and say it flat out. What's the harm?"

Agustín stared in Rose's direction, forehead creased. She and the Ravenclaw girls were conversing in front of one of the room's bookshelves. Rose was pointing at the spine of one of the books as the other girls leaned in to get a closer look.

"One day maybe I'll be brave enough for that," he said, "but today is not that day. I guess this is just another way I don't live up to the title of Gryffindor."

Before Agustín could say anything else, Scorpius, who had turned to the jukebox again, was bobbing on his toes and pointing excitedly at the glass window of the machine.

"I found a song I recognize, a Muggle song! Mum used to listen to this."

Albus promptly forgot about Agustín's troubles as he turned to see what song had managed to grab Scorpius's attention.

XXX

Over the next couple of weeks, several more Slytherins made appearances in what had come to be called "the room" by many (though Rose still called it the All Houses Common Room to anyone who would listen), but they were far rarer to see than students of the other houses.

That wasn't discouraging to Rose, who could be found in the room anytime she wasn't in class.

Scorpius was less than fond of the place.

"I wish she'd spend _some_ time with me in the library," he admitted at lunch one day when Albus had prodded him about why he seemed down.

After that, Albus had made it a point to go to the library with Scorpius after classes each day, effectively avoiding the room most afternoons despite Rose's wishes. She was adamant, though, that they come occasionally, being two of the remarkably few Slytherin regulars that she'd managed to amass.

They went out of duty, not enjoyment, particularly in Scorpius's case.

While there, they would often scope out the most secluded corner and do what they often did in the Slytherin common room: not interact with anyone unless approached by one of the few friends they could count on to say hello.

Rose always spent time talking to them, though she would rush off sooner or later to deal with something or greet someone.

On one particular day, Albus had been going about his time as he frequently did, working on his homework while Scorpius did the same across the table from him. He was about to ask Scorpius if he could remember the twelfth use of dragon's blood when Rose appeared, leaning over their table.

"Rose," Albus said in surprise.

He'd noticed her before Scorpius, who took his time finishing a sentence before he glanced up from his parchment. For a moment, Albus waited, expecting Rose to pull out a chair and sit down like she usually did.

When she didn't, Albus cleared his throat.

"What's up?" he asked.

Rose wasn't interested in his question, but she did use it as a prompt to finally speak.

"Al, can you come with me for a second?"

His brow creased in a frown, and he glanced at Scorpius to share his confusion.

"It won't take long," Rose continued. "I want to ask you about something."

That still sounded rather odd to Albus, but he stood, offering Scorpius a shrug before he followed Rose away from the table.

She led him to the other side of the room, as far away from Scorpius as they could get. There were more people on this side of the room, but Rose didn't approach any of them. When they came to the wall farthest from where Scorpius sat, she leaned against it.

"What's this about?" Albus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Honestly, Albus, I'm tired of watching the two of you."

She gestured in what seemed to be Scorpius's direction, but as she was careful to conceal the gesture from Scorpius's possible view, Albus had to infer as much for himself.

"Me and Scorpius?" Albus asked. He felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and he became conscious of the need to stand in a nonchalant way, making his every move feel artificial. "Tired of watching us what?"

As soon as the question was out of his mouth, he would have rather not asked it. Once she started giving you her opinion, Rose wouldn't stop until it was all out on the table.

"I know falling in love with your best friend can be difficult."

Albus panicked, turning his head from side to side to gauge whether anyone could have heard what Rose had said.

"Honestly." Rose rolled her eyes. "No one's paying attention to our conversation, but if you keep acting like you're hiding something, then you better believe they'll be interested."

She was right. Albus struggled to look at Rose and only at Rose. He was nonchalant, he told himself as he leaned his hip into the wall, facing his cousin.

"What is it you're wanting me to do exactly?"

There was always something Rose expected of you once she'd expounded her wisdom. She thrived on giving out homework. If she didn't become a professor, then she'd be somebody's boss one day.

She tilted her head and smirked.

"You know what I want you to do," she said. "It's what you should have done ages ago. I want you to walk back over there and tell Scorpius you're in love with him."

Albus couldn't help but glance over his shoulder. Scorpius's back was to them as he leaned over the table, his nose close to the parchment as he scribbled with his quill.

"No way in hell," Albus muttered, turning back to Rose. "Look, I plan to talk to him, I do, but I'm not doing it here, and I'm certainly not using the word 'love' when I do it."

"Fine," Rose said with a shrug. "There's plenty of time for the 'L' word later, but you need to do _something_ now. It's getting ridiculous, and if you do it within the next week, then I win the bet."

"There's a bet‽" His ears began to heat up in anger. "Who have you been betting with?"

Rose looked far too pleased with herself, though Albus suspected she'd just broken one of the terms of said bet.

"Just me and a few of our cousins. James and Lily are both in on it of course."

"Did you or James start this?"

"James," Rose replied. "You think I have time to organize something as silly as a bet when I'm busy with this?" She motioned around the room. "James is tracking the entire thing on a sheet of parchment charmed against cheating. He makes sure we're regularly updated on who's in the lead."

"I hate all of you," Albus informed her before turning his back on her and beginning the walk back to Scorpius.

"That's fine, but seriously, Al, within the next week. I'd appreciate it."

He shook his head, and he couldn't control his expression before he dropped unceremoniously into the chair across from Scorpius. His essay looked even less appealing than it had earlier, and that was saying something.

"'Within the next week' what?" Scorpius asked, watching Albus with curiosity.

Albus panicked as he realized that Rose's final words had been loud enough for most of the room to hear. They couldn't have possibly heard the rest of it, he reminded himself.

His mind worked on overdrive coming up with a response that would both make sense and not be incriminating, but even as he thought about it, he felt guilty. Lying to Scorpius was perhaps his least favourite thing in the world. He didn't want to, but in this one case, the alternative was too frightening.

"You know Rose," Albus said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "She's always trying to get people to help her out with her next scheme and whatever."

It was a vague answer, which wasn't lost on Scorpius. Even as he nodded, Scorpius's eyes watched Albus, just as curious as they had been before. He didn't ask for for more information though, not even what new scheme Rose had cooked up that she supposedly wanted Albus's help with.

The twelfth use of dragon's blood still hadn't come back to him. Albus growled in frustration.

XXX

Running into James was a game of chance. Albus had never figured out how to find his brother when doing so was necessary. James had a habit of appearing at times whether you wanted him to or not. If you needed him at other times, you were out of luck.

There were times, though, where Albus thought that James could sense when someone wanted to talk to him because Albus wouldn't have to search him out. He'd appear on his own.

"Little brother," James said with his usual smirk.

James's hand gripped Felicia's, who also smiled at Albus and greeted him in a way that wasn't obnoxious. They'd been walking down the corridor in the opposite direction of Albus, and there was nothing to indicate that they had stumbled upon him on purpose except for the fact that Albus had been internally cursing James only moments before.

"You made a bet about me?" Albus asked abruptly, not bothering with greetings, though he did give Felicia a slight nod of the head.

Felicia's smile turned sheepish when she heard his question. She stepped back slightly as if wanting to make it clear that she was not involved in the brothers' argument.

James, however, didn't appear nervous. He shrugged.

"Not just me," he said. "I assume Rose told you? All the cousins are in on it except Louis, Victoire, and Teddy."

Albus looked at Felicia.

"Not me," she assured him. "I turned them down. Didn't feel right."

Albus wanted to thank her but also didn't want to let down his stern facade in front of James.

"Look," James said, taking several steps forward and wrapping an arm around Albus's shoulders, "we want you to be happy. It's why we're anxious for you to confess your love and live happily ever after."

Albus stepped out from under James's arm, swatting at it with his own.

"That's nice and all, but I can handle my life by myself, thanks."

He went to walk away but then paused, turning back around.

"Rose said she would win if I confessed by next week. When did you guess I'd say something?"

James almost answered but then paused and smirked.

"If I tell you, you'll make sure that I don't win."

Albus scowled. It was the answer he had expected, but he felt like he had an entitlement to the information whether James wanted to give it to him or not.

His brother saluted him, causing Albus to roll his eyes.

"Just do it when it feels right, Al. I guarantee that I will win."

And with that, he and Felicia disappeared down the hall.

XXX

Possessing knowledge of the bet meant, of course, that Albus had a perfectly reasonable excuse not to admit his feelings to Scorpius for at least another week. Try as hard as he might, he hadn't been able to figure out what each of his cousins had bet and, therefore, who would be richer should he make certain decisions, but he did know Rose's bet. That meant he was at least going to get the satisfaction of knowing that she had lost.

Rose didn't like that plan and had taken to glaring at him each time they were in each other's presence. When she sat down to study with them in the All Houses Common Room, she stayed for longer and longer periods of time just to intimidate him, becoming increasingly annoyed as her deadline loomed.

She did not, however, actually say anything to Scorpius because that would have invalidated the bet all together. Albus's secret felt safer than it ever had before, and that gave him the drive to be bolder in how he rebuffed Rose's constant vague comments.

Currently, she was staring at Albus. He could feel it as he read a passage of his Potions textbook on common remedies for the flu.

"Rose," Scorpius said hesitantly, "are you sure you're alright?"

"Fine," Rose said, hardly glancing his way.

Her words didn't stop Scorpius from continuing to look worried. He had since Rose had started glaring, rather blatantly too, at Albus. There was no disguising her behavior, and it was getting harder for Albus to pretend that he didn't have any idea why she was angry with him.

Scorpius was preparing to say something else when a shadow fell over Albus's textbook. He looked up to find Javan grinning at Scorpius. Just like last time, he didn't seem to notice Albus's presence, but at least this time Rose was being ignored as much as he was.

Rose's eyes had a hopeful glint upon seeing Javan's Slytherin green tie and then became curious once she realized that Javan had no plans of looking away from Scorpius. She eyed Albus as if waiting for him to explain what was going on, but his eyes were too intent on Javan to notice.

Javan hadn't tried to talk to either of them since his failed attempt at asking Scorpius out.

"Hi, Scorpius." Javan greeted him in the same reserved, careful tone that he'd used last time, though he had gathered his nerves better this time around. His posture was straighter and his voice stronger.

Apparently he'd had enough time to get over rejection and had decided to go all in once more.

"Hi, Javan."

Scorpius's eyes were wide, and he wasn't able to look at Javan's face. He settled on looking at Albus instead, his eyes pleading for help.

Albus glanced between the two other boys, assessing the situation. He hadn't thought that Javan would make a second attempt at asking Scorpius out, and he hadn't considered how nervous Scorpius might get if he had to talk to a boy who he knew had feelings for him.

"Javan," Albus greeted, struggling to sound neutral, not particularly friendly. "Have you met my cousin Rose?"

Rose's eyebrows rose briefly at the surprise introduction, but she took the bait, standing from her chair and maneuvering around Scorpius to stand beside Javan.

"Rose Granger-Weasley," she said, holding out her hand. Javan shook it, looking confused as he glanced back at Scorpius. "Welcome to the All Houses Common Room. I don't believe you've visited before, but I assure you that it has the usual comforts of the Slytherin common room as well as more company. Let me know if you have any ideas for improvements. The great thing about using the Room of Requirement is that we can do whatever we want with the place."

Javan nodded along to Rose's rehearsed speech, but his eyes had glassed over in thinly concealed boredom.

"Yeah," he said, realizing that Rose had stopped speaking and was watching him expectantly. "The place seems cool."

He cast a customary glance around the room, and Albus had no doubt that he was cataloging the house colours present. He wasn't finding any Slytherins other than the two he was standing in front of. Not even his friends had accompanied him.

"Not really all houses though, is it?" he asked.

He smirked as if it were a joke, but Rose, if she noticed, ignored his intentions and focused on her continuing frustration.

"I know." She let out a short growl. "I'm trying my best, but you lot don't want to come. If you have any ideas on how to fix that, then do let me know. I'm desperate, and these two," she motioned to Scorpius and Albus, "are useless."

Javan followed Rose's hand as she waved towards Scorpius and used it as an opportunity to refocus his attention.

"Do you spend a lot of time in here?" he asked, quirking his head to the side as if the thought of such a thing amused him.

Scorpius shrugged. His eyes had settled onto a place on the opposite wall slightly to Javan's left.

"Quite a bit," he said. "Rose is always here, so I can't spend time in the library with her like I used to. We hang out here instead."

The fact that Scorpius spent time with Rose was new information to Javan. He glanced at her again as if seeing her in a new light.

"Huh," Javan said, trying not to sound as surprised as he looked. "I had wondered why I hadn't seen much of you in the common room lately. You're only ever passing through."

"You've been looking for me in the common room?" Scorpius's voice cracked.

He looked scared about this, but Javan had taken his reaction as encouragement.

"Of course," he said. "Did you think that I was never going to speak to you again? I thought I'd made it rather clear that I'd like to get to know you better."

The sharp breath Scorpius took was audible. Javan looked pleased to have elicited it, and it angered Albus that the other boy didn't get that Scorpius wasn't trying to flatter him.

Scorpius fumbled with his quill, dropping it on the table and splattering ink across the wood. In other circumstances, Rose would have cast _scourgify_ before it could sink into the table, but she was too interested in Javan. Like Albus, she could see how Scorpius felt, and she appeared as turned off by the idea of anything happening between Javan and Scorpius as Albus was.

"You know, Javan," Rose said, a wide grin on her lips, "I wouldn't mind getting to know you more either."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tugged him to her side. This startled Javan, who went stiff.

"I'm serious," Rose continued. "The two of us should get together some time to discuss your ideas on how to bring more Slytherins around. You have friends, right? Surely you do, a handsome guy like yourself. You'd be a great asset. Think about it."

Javan's nose had wrinkled in disgust, but he smiled at Rose, trying to conceal it.

"I'll think about it," he said in that tone of voice that let them know he wouldn't be doing anything of the sort.

His gaze turned back to Scorpius, but before he could speak, Albus stood, moving so that he stood between Javan and Scorpius as he began throwing his books, quills, and parchment into his bag.

"I think we should finish our homework in the library," he said, being careful that his words were directed only to Scorpius and couldn't be taken as an open invitation to Javan.

Scorpius nodded and began throwing his things in his own bag even more haphazardly than Albus had. His rush to escape was clear even to Javan, who, when Albus turned around to look at Rose, had backed up and was watching Scorpius and Albus with a keen eye.

"Nice seeing you," Albus said to Rose.

Her smirk towards Javan showed that she knew what had prompted Albus's hasty goodbye.

"We're not parting ways," she said with a short laugh. "I'm coming with you. It'll give me time to do some research for my Potions essay. There's a book that Kayley told me about that I've been meaning to check out."

It was probably a real reason she needed to go, as Rose had hardly stepped foot in the library over the last several weeks, but Albus narrowed his eyes at her all the same, knowing that this particular trip had an ulterior motive.

She didn't have a bag to take with her as she followed Scorpius and Albus out of the room, and she was the only one who didn't ignore Javan, throwing a loud, "Nice to meet you," over her shoulder.

Javan gave her a half-hearted wave. There was a nagging thought in Albus's mind that he should have felt sorry for Javan considering how dejected he looked at being left behind, but he didn't.

When they left the room, Scorpius's shoulders drooped in relief, and he began to breath easier.

"What was that?" Rose demanded as she led the way to the library. "Who is this Javan fellow, and how did no one tell me that a reasonably attractive guy has his eyes set on Scorpius?"

Scorpius groaned. "Don't say things like that, it makes me nervous."

Rose laughed.

"I don't know," she said. "He doesn't seem like a gem. Granted, I only spoke to him for five minutes and he didn't have any interest in talking to me, but I think you could do better."

She shot a pointed look to Albus, which Scorpius missed. Albus narrowed his eyes before turning away from her and placing a careful hand on Scorpius's arm.

"I figured that I butchered it up so much when he asked me to Hogsmeade that he wouldn't try again," Scorpius said. His cheeks were stained red. "It feels like I only just stopped being nervous about him coming to talk to me. Now it has me all worked up again."

"I'll be okay," Albus said. "He can only get rejected so many times before he realizes you aren't interested." He paused for a moment, watching Scorpius carefully. "Unless you've decided that you're interested."

"No," Scorpius replied hastily as they descended a staircase. "I'm not. Not at all. To be honest, I'd be happy if he never talked to me again."

"I can take care of that," Rose said.

The boys couldn't see her face as she walked in front of them, but Albus could imagine the devious grin that he could hear in her voice.

"I get the feeling that he's rather fun to mess with," she continued. "I'm more than willing to get him off your back."

Scorpius waved his arms back and forth in alarm.

"No, no, you can't tell him I'm not interested, Rose. That's embarrassing. Besides, he's never actually said he likes me, so what if we're wrong and he doesn't? Then, if you made it sound like I thought he liked me, it would be even more embarrassing than if he did."

Rose chuckled and paused long enough for Scorpius and Albus to catch up to her.

"Trust me. He does like you. No one stares that intently unless they're a goner. This isn't a casual crush. From the sound of things, you could have him wrapped around your finger. I'm almost jealous. Imagine the power."

"Well, I don't want that," Scorpius replied shortly. "I don't like the attention, and I've been watching him a bit since the last time. He's a prick mostly. His friends are worse, but he was laughing along with them the other day when some third year girl tripped in the hallway. I don't like them."

Rose tapped her chin.

"There are several options here, some of which I know you won't take, like flat out telling him you don't like him. Another is always to date someone else, as it shows you're uninterested."

Her eyes travelled between Scorpius and Albus. There was an air of desperation about this, as if Rose was picturing the countdown to when she'd lose the bet in her mind. Albus rolled his eyes.

Scorpius had begun fidgeting with the hems of his sleeves at the suggestion. He kept his face averted from them.

"I don't think that's a possibility," he said quietly. "That requires having someone to date."

Albus didn't think he had imagined the way Scorpius's eyes had briefly glanced at him. Rose had seen it too. Her smirk grew, and she rubbed her hands together.

"Are you sure you don't?" she asked, but she didn't wait for an answer, even when Scorpius's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak. "But there is another option. I'll talk to him and make it clear that I don't appreciate his sort hanging around my friends. If he's a prick, he'll understand what I'm talking about, and I like to think that I can be reasonably intimidating. By the time I'm finished, he'll be too scared to approach you."

Scorpius shifted in place, not looking reassured by that proposed course of action either, but he didn't try to argue Rose out of the plan. Instead, he replied with a quiet, "Okay."


	12. Chapter 12

Scorpius was humming to himself as he walked down the corridor. He was alone for the first time in what felt like ages, and he was surprisingly at ease about it. He just needed to drop off some of his books in the dorm and then he would find Albus so that they could go get dinner.

At least, that was the plan until he turned a corner and saw Javan walking towards him. The other boy paused in his steps but then smiled and began heading, with new purpose, straight for Scorpius.

Scorpius's body felt stiff, and his feet were planted into the stone. He forced himself to breathe evenly.

This was the first time he'd been alone with Javan. That hadn't been entirely up to chance. There had been a time or two where Scorpius had avoided leaving the dormitory when he was alone and had seen Javan with his friends in the common room. It had worked well so far.

"Scorpius, hi."

There was relief in Javan's voice that might have been from finally encountering Scorpius with no friends around to intervene.

"Hi," Scorpius replied quietly.

Unable to keep his eyes on Javan, he'd begun staring at the ground instead. He fidgeted with the strap of his school bag and tried to convince himself that this encounter wouldn't end in embarrassment.

"Look, I know the other times we've talked haven't gone as planned, so I'm going to go ahead and say it: I like you, Scorpius, and I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date with me."

Scorpius cringed but didn't answer right away.

With a deep sigh, he looked up to see Javan watching him. The gaze was so intense that Scorpius felt like he was being pushed into the floor by the weight of it.

"I'm sorry, Javan," he said quiet enough that Javan moved closer to better hear him. "I, um, the truth is that I didn't realize you liked me at first? Albus had to tell me. I didn't get that that was why you were talking to me."

"Really?" Javan was perplexed. "I thought I made myself pretty clear, but I guess that explains some things." He smiled, looking relieved. Scorpius latched onto his sleeve, picking at the hem. "So now that you know that I do like you, how do you feel?"

The look on Scorpius face gave Javan a hint as to where the conversation was going because his smile fell before Scorpius spoke.

"I really am sorry. I just… We don't really know each other." Everything that Scorpius had already said to Albus and Rose came back to him, and it became easier for him to recount it. "We haven't talked much and never about anything important, and to be honest, I'm not sure that we would get on well if we did? It's not a problem with you as a person, I swear, but, well, see, that day where I rambled on about magic and genetics? That's me all the time, you realize? It's what I'm like.

"And if I'm being honest, I'm not comfortable around that many people. A lot of them kind of scare me. It's an irrational fear, and I know it is, but that doesn't change things. I know it means that I don't get to know a lot of people, but I've realized that I kind of like it that way. So getting to know new people is stress–"

Javan cut him off. "If you like Potter, you can just say so." His cheeks had begun to grow pink. "My friends told me you did. I guess I should have believed them, especially after the other day. I just didn't want to see it."

Scorpius's breath was stuck in his throat. He desperately wanted to escape, but he forced himself to stay out of some strange belief that he owed it to Javan not to run away immediately after rejecting him.

"It's not really about Albus," he said. He couldn't confirm that he did, in fact, have feelings for his best friend. It didn't matter. Even if he hadn't, he couldn't see himself with Javan. "It's a lot of things."

"Whatever."

Javan brushed past him, and Scorpius suddenly felt like running away wouldn't have been rude after all. His hands shook before he gripped the straps of his bag tightly. His legs felt uneasy beneath him, and he moved to lean against the wall and closed his eyes as he waited for his mind and body to calm down.

XXX

The recent lack of any big fights between Gryffindors and Slytherins had given Scorpius enough courage to begin visiting the library alone again. It wasn't frequent, but he'd done it enough that he felt at peace once again when alone amongst the bookshelves. It did help, of course, that Madam Pince was always a stone's throw away.

He hadn't expected Rose to appear on that particular day, so he was startled when she slid into the chair across from him. He couldn't help but react as if a ghost had appeared out of nowhere. His hand flew up to cover his heart where it pounded ferociously against his chest.

"Don't do that," he scolded her, not liking how she looked pleased with herself for managing to scare him.

"I thought you had been feeling better about being out and about in the castle. No Gryffindors have come after any Slytherins for a couple of months."

"I am. Kind of. It's not any Gryffindors that I'm worried about today at any rate."

She gave him a sympathetic look.

"Javan then?" she questioned, nose wrinkling in distaste at the thought of the boy. "You're scared about having to confront him."

Scorpius cast a cautionary look around the library. There was no one in sight, but one could never be too careful in libraries. There were plenty of bookshelves to hide behind and eavesdrop. He went so far as to pull his wand out and cast a quick _muffliato_.

"Is it that good of a story?" Rose asked, rising to sit on her legs and leaning in as closely as the table between them would allow.

"I wouldn't say that. It's just embarrassing. I don't need people laughing at me about it."

"Tell me everything."

Scorpius sighed. He'd known this would come, so he had somewhat prepared himself for what he would say.

"I was walking back to the common room to get what I wanted to bring to the library. Javan was in one of the corridors close to the entrance—I don't know if he were there on purpose or not. He stopped me to talk."

"Did he ask you out again?"

"Yes." Scorpius frowned at the table. "He did, and he did it bluntly this time. And, well, I told him the truth: that I hadn't known what he had wanted before but how it didn't change anything. He got angry, said some things about how I should just tell him the truth and admit it was about Albus. Then he stormed off."

"He didn't try to smear _my_ good name? I thought for sure he'd have something to say after meeting me."

Scorpius looked up at her, brow furrowed. "No," he said slowly. "He didn't mention you at all."

"Damn," Rose muttered. "That would have made it especially interesting."

Scorpius laughed despite himself. "You're saying that you wish he had?"

Rose took her legs out from under herself and leaned back in her chair with a wistful look on her face.

"It's not like I care if Javan hates my guts. However, I have to admit that the idea of anyone hating me enough to angrily rant about me to others would be endlessly amusing, and he seemed to dislike me enough last time."

"You and I have far different ideas of fun," Scorpius said with a slow shake of his head.

Rose flipped open her book and withdrew a piece of parchment that was already half full of her handwriting.

"My limited interaction with him tells me that Javan is a wonderfully delightful person to irritate," she said, smiling to herself.

For a minute, Rose scribbled on her parchment and Scorpius scanned a paragraph of his book in search of an answer to a homework question, but it wasn't long before Rose had come up with a different topic of conversation.

"If you don't mind my asking, you do still have feelings for Albus, right?"

Head shooting up, Scorpius took in a sharp, audible gasp. His eyes glanced around them. The _muffliato_ had fallen as soon as Rose stopped mentioning Javan. Anyone could have heard her.

"Relax," she said. "There's no one to hear us."

He wasn't reassured, leaning closer so that he could whisper.

"Yes." He frowned. "Why are you asking me that now?"

Rose shrugged, but she had a look on her face that hinted that she did, in fact, have a reason even if she wouldn't reveal it.

"It's just that, with all that Javan stuff, I realized that we hadn't talked about it in a while, and it's always good to make sure that you're up to date on the 'who likes who' front."

"You sound like you talk about my feelings with other people."

There was actual fear in Scorpius's voice, and Rose smiled at him.

"No," she said. "I don't talk about _you_ at all. I only talk about the people who would forgive me for it, like my cousins. Take Louis for example. He has a crush on his best friend's girlfriend. It's extremely sad actually, but it's the family's favourite topic of discussion as of late."

"That sounds awful."

"Eh." Rose shrugged. "Maybe it is, but I don't feel bad about it. Louis was the one who kept saying that Dominique was secretly in love with Professor Binns several years ago when we all knew it wasn't true."

A strange, unwelcome image had formed in Scorpius's mind, causing him to squish his eyes shut and rub at them.

"That's disgusting. I guess you can talk about him then."

"Back to you though," Rose said, leaning forward and crossing her arms against the surface of the table.

Scorpius had forgotten that they had been talking about him, and he scowled at the change in topic.

"Why? There's nothing new to say. It's the same as always."

"That's what I want to talk about. We're fourth years, and you haven't done anything about the crush you've had since first year? At some point one of you has to get your act together."

"'One of us'?" Scorpius echoed.

Her choice of words was something Rose had hoped that Scorpius would catch onto judging by the smirk that engulfed her face.

"That is what I said. I am surrounded by idiots it seems."

She made it clear that she wouldn't say anything further, bowing over her notes and continuing to add new information. Scorpius watched her for a moment, stunned.

It wasn't that he couldn't figure out what she was apparently saying. There was little doubt in his mind that she had been referring to Albus as much as she had been him, yet it was next to impossible for him to wrap his mind around what that meant.


	13. Chapter 13

Agustín, as it turned out, was a big fan of the Room of Requirement, and that enthusiasm might not have been because he enjoyed flirting with Rose whenever the opportunity arose. Scorpius and Albus weren't the only non-Gryffindor friends he'd managed to gain. Whenever Albus was there, Agustín was typically talking to someone, often someone Albus had never seen him speaking to before, and said person was very likely a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Two times Albus had even seen him speaking to Slytherins, who were slowly but surely checking out the new space.

Despite his busy social life, Agustín still made time to talk to Albus and Scorpius whenever he saw them.

"Hey," Agustín greeted Albus one day, lowering himself onto the end of the couch that was closest to the armchair Albus occupied. Albus offered him a nod of acknowledgement. "Where's Scorpius?"

"Are we so co-dependent that I can't be seen alone without people getting suspicious?"

"Yes," Agustín replied seriously before he and Albus both dissolved into laughter. "In all seriousness though," he continued after calming down, "where is he? You two are always together on Friday nights."

"Library. He wanted to get a couple of new books to read. He finished the last set he checked out and the novel that he mail ordered from Flourish and Blotts. I don't know why I didn't go with him. All I've been doing is sitting here staring into the fire."

A group of girls in first year who were sitting nearby caught Albus's attention not for the first time. They were whispering amongst each other and occasionally one of them would point, none too discreetly, in Albus's direction. He sighed.

Agustín, who had followed his gaze, said with a frown, "That must be annoying."

Albus shrugged. He leant over to pick up the deck of cards that he'd laid on the table beside his chair, shuffling them to give himself something to do that wasn't showing Agustín just how much it did actually bother him.

"It is, but it's whatever, honestly. Back in first year it bothered me way more than it does these days. Course, it was worse then, too, because our year were the ones doing it. It's always the first years, see. The older students get used to having Potters around and get bored with us once we've proven to be nothing special."

"Difficult to imagine people getting bored of James, considering how much he attracts the spotlight."

"That's something else," Albus said with a shake of his head. "James manages to get people interested in James. It stops being because he's a Potter. Though I've seen him play that up before if it'll do him some good."

"I guess I'm lucky in a way." Agustín had turned strangely moody as he stared into the fire. "I've never told you this—don't talk about it much at all—before I came to Hogwarts I was scared people would realize who I was, who my father was. They didn't at first. It took a while and then there was some gossiping about it, but it blew over. Thank Merlin."

He glanced at Albus, gauging his reaction.

"You don't seem very surprised. I'd wondered if you knew."

Albus tried to appear sympathetic.

"Some Slytherins told me and Scorpius a few months ago that your dad had robbed pureblood families. It was the first either of us had heard of it, but I'm still not sure their version was the truth."

Agustín shook his head. He kept his eyes averted in embarrassment.

"Probably not entirely, but that's the gist of what happened. They might not have told you that my dad is a pureblood himself. It's kind of a long story."

He looked to Albus as if for permission to continue said story, and Albus granted it to him with a nod of his head.

"Dad's family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight: the Burkes."

He nodded at Albus's wide eyes.

Albus knew little about the Burkes, but what he did know was decidedly unpleasant. They'd laid low in the years since the war and, even during it, had had little to do with Voldemort's campaigns. They had, instead, stayed on the fringes, supplying the Death Eaters with whatever cursed objects they needed from Borgin and Burkes but being careful not to get themselves in direct trouble with anyone. They still weren't people you wanted as friends.

"He was at Hogwarts during the war, but he was only a second year during the Battle of Hogwarts. He was never involved in much of anything, just heard his relatives saying unpleasant things at family events. His own parents, my grandparents, weren't interested in being Death Eaters. They were much more...moderate, I suppose you could say, than other factions of the family, not that they were innocent.

"Dad was sorted into Slytherin like he was meant to be, and his life was going according to plan until the end of the war. Kids he knew died, kids he admired. He says it changed him. They came back the next year to a changed school, and Dad started hanging out with kids he'd never bothered to talk to before. One of them was my mum. She was a Gryffindor whose parents were Muggles."

Albus was fascinated by Agustín's story in a way he'd never imagined he would be interested in the lives of his friends' parents. Agustín still spoke as if Albus were going to turn his nose up in disgust at the Burke family, and Agustín himself, at any moment, and he wondered if Agustín remembered that the father of Albus's best friend was himself a former Death Eater.

"My dad says that plenty of people in Slytherin weren't happy when he grew closer with other people, especially Gryffindors of questionable blood status. His old friends wouldn't talk to him anymore, so when they left Hogwarts, they were on bad terms. Everything after that is when it gets embarrassing, but he did steal from a few pureblood families. It was an heirloom or two as a way of laughing at them right after they left school, not that it excuses it, but the families made it into something larger than it was. He spent time in Azkaban."

"I figured it was something like that," Albus said. "About how much he stole, I meant. The others made it sound as if he'd pulled off a massive heist."

He was relieved when Agustín laughed, looking a little more at ease.

"It wasn't that impressive," he admitted. "He didn't keep anything. By the time the Aurors arrested him, he'd already gone back and dumped everything on each family's doorstep."

"He doesn't sound that bad at all," Albus said.

Agustín grinned. "Thanks for that, whether you mean it or not." He held up a hand before Albus could speak. "And you don't have to tell me which it is. Anyway, the point of me bringing it up is that I was terrified of it being found out when I got here, but I know you have it much worse."

"Do you really think that?" Albus asked. "It's a lot different to have had a dad in Azkaban as opposed to having a dad who's the savior of the wizarding world." He frowned. "Not that I think of him like that, mind. I don't want to make it seem like I think my dad is better than yours."

"I know," Agustín said with a smile. "It's fine. You had the Potter name when you came to Hogwarts. Everyone wanted to talk about your dad. I remember it, too, the whispers and the speculation about your family. What I went through was nowhere near the same, and I didn't have to live down the Burke name. Dad took Mum's name when they got married, and now it's mine too. It was for the best."

Albus couldn't disagree with that. He would never want to have a last name that was synonymous with a dusty, dangerous store down Knockturn Alley.

Albus waved his deck of cards around, drawing Agustín's attention to them.

"Do you know any Muggle card games?" he asked. "My dad taught me how to play Old Maid."

The name caught Agustín's interest.

"I've never heard of it, but I'd like to learn."

Albus motioned for Agustín to join him on the rug in front of the hearth, where he got to work explaining the rules.

XXX

Even if Albus hadn't been keeping track of when Rose's bet would come to an end, he would have known instantly upon seeing her on the day when she was no longer able to win. Her eyes blazed with fire in their depths as the three friends talked in the Room of Requirement, but she didn't dare say a word or attempt to get Albus alone.

That night, he laid in bed awake for most of the night, knowing that the next day would be the day when he did it. There were few excuses left, and he'd begun to feel like he was going to drown in anxiety if he didn't.

He knew that Scorpius had worked up the courage to reject Javan, but Albus also worried at times that Javan would keep trying, which annoyed him to the point of driving him to act.

It was an early day in June. The Hogwarts grounds were full of life, from the students milling about to the vibrant greens to the birds hopping around looking for food. The sun shone down on a multitude of activity, some of it foolish considering the forthcoming exams.

Rose constantly reminded them how important it was to study until it had finally gotten to Albus, who began to worry. Scorpius was taking it far better

"We're prepared," he'd insisted when Albus first admitted his worries. "We've been following the schedules I set out, and I've quizzed you enough times to know you've got the basics."

The basics, yes, but Albus wasn't foolish enough to believe that he'd do anywhere near as well on his exams as Scorpius would on his. It was one of the many things that Albus found endearing about Scorpius. That and, well, everything else.

At times, they needed a break, and that often meant lounging under their tree. A few students could be seen in the distance, but they were essentially alone. A summer breeze tousled Scorpius's hair and provided temporary relief from the heat that had begun to make them sweat before they'd tugged off their robes in favour of the thinner clothes underneath.

Scorpius was bent over a book and some parchment that laid on his lap. His tongue was held in his teeth and his brow was furrowed as he analyzed a passage.

It was far too endearing of an image when all he was doing was studying. Albus's heart beat rapidly in his chest.

They were alone; it was a bright day; and Albus was going to miss his best chance to say it if he didn't do it at that very moment.

"Scorpius," Albus said, forcing the words out, "can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure."

Scorpius looked up at him with a smile. He put his book to the side, giving Albus his undivided attention.

"I think I've got animagi down anyway. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Albus found himself fiddling with blades of grass, tugging them out of the dirt and shredding them between his fingers. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he moved to be closer to Scorpius. They still sat across from each other, but their knees brushed against each other's as they sat cross-legged.

"I have to admit something," Albus said.

Scorpius had begun to watch him with curiosity, realizing that this wasn't one of their usual conversations. His eyes were wide as they looked everywhere, at Albus's knees, at his face, at his hands that were reaching out to take Scorpius's. They locked together, both of them gripping tightly, and Albus knew that Scorpius would be able to feel the sweat that coated his palms.

"I really like you, Scorpius," he admitted. It came out in a rush, but Scorpius heard every word. "I like you as more than just a friend, but I've been scared to admit it. It sounds cliche, you know, saying that I was scared it would ruin our friendship, but I was. I didn't want to tell you and then you not like me back. It seemed like the worst thing."

Scorpius's brow furrowed, and he squeeze Albus's hands as he continued.

"A bunch of stuff has happened this year that was confusing. I, er, I never told you why Eden actually broke up with me. The truth is that she knew I liked you more than I liked her. At first, it surprised me because I hadn't thought about how I felt about you. It took me months to realize that she'd been right, and then I, er, kind of went through a struggle about my sexuality that Teddy helped with. So I realized I was bisexual, but I was still scared of admitting all this to you.

"I still am scared to be honest."

"No," Scorpius said abruptly. He tried to get closer to Albus but their knees only pushed into each other painfully. He leaned forward instead. "Don't be scared. Please."

His voice broke over the last word, and Albus felt his heart twist in his chest as if it were being strangled.

"I've been scared too," Scorpius admitted in little more than a whisper. "I've liked you since first year, but I didn't want to tell you because I thought it would ruin our friendship."

Albus couldn't help but laugh. "That's really sad, isn't it?" he asked.

Scorpius smiled bashfully. "I suppose."

They were both leaning towards each other, their faces closer than would be acceptable for people who were just friends. Their hands remained intertwined as they held onto each other.

"Can I kiss you?" Albus asked breathlessly.

Scorpius gave the shortest of nods and leaned forward further. He managed to lose his balance and almost face planted into Albus's lap, but Albus grabbed him, one hand on his arm and the other on his waist. Their noses had collided, but though it stung, Albus found himself laughing.

Scorpius was a bright red, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing as well. The laughter died on both of their lips as Albus closed the distance between them, covering Scorpius's lips with his own.

The kiss was very different from kissing Eden. Not because kissing Eden had been bad but because this was what Albus had wanted to do for so long. A thrill ran through his veins as he gripped Scorpius tightly and deepened the kiss. Scorpius was hesitant and unsure of himself, but Albus did his best to reassure him through the press of his lips and the way his hands ran along his arms and torso.

When they broke apart, both boys were flushed. Their faces remained close together, though Albus could feel a coming stiffness in his back, and both were smiling so largely that it was painful.

There was a hint of uncertainty in Scorpius's eyes. Albus leaned their foreheads together, his hands finding Scorpius's again.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Scorpius averted his eyes, looking down at their knees, which were still pressed together. He stumbled over what he wanted to say but was eventually able to get his question out.

"So, what are we now? I just...just want to make sure that I...understand."

Albus smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to Scorpius's cheek. It was enough to make Scorpius look at him again.

"Scorpius, would you be my boyfriend please?"

The smile that broke across Scorpius's face was even more blinding than the one that had come after their kiss. He laughed from happiness.

"Yes," Scorpius said. "I would like that."

The two boys giggled into each other's mouths as they leaned in once more.

 **A/N: Heads up, the next chapter is the last!**


	14. Chapter 14

Albus's cousins at school took the news with an embarrassing amount of cheering. Albus had thought that Scorpius might break up with him after having to put up with constant thumps on the back from James, who had won the bet (much to Albus's chagrin), and the pointed comments from his cousins who had to fork over money.

It calmed down as exams came and everyone's attention shifted, but soon enough, those were over as well. Albus was left with the knowledge that soon he would be going home once again.

Scorpius had written Draco a letter informing him of the change in his and Albus's relationship, but Albus had yet to tell his own parents.

"I'd like to do it in person," Albus had told Scorpius, "and get to introduce you and everything."

"They already know me, Albus. I've stayed at your house."

"This is different," Albus had said, kissing his boyfriend lightly on the lips.

As the train rolled into King's Cross Station, Albus didn't regret his decision, but he could feel the multitude of butterflies that had taken up residence in his stomach.

His twitching didn't escape Scorpius's notice either. The blonde boy reached for Albus's hand, gripping it in his own. Albus glanced away from the window and found Scorpius's eyes instead, amazed at how much affection he felt in the other boy's gaze. He had no idea how he had been uncertain that it was there before.

"You okay?" Scorpius asked quietly.

"He'll be fine," Rose replied from where she lounged on the bench across from them. "Honestly, you'd think he was working up the courage to tell Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny that he'd decided to turn to a life of crime, not that he has a boyfriend who they already like anyway."

Albus scowled at her. She'd been judgmental since they'd gotten on the train and Albus's nerves had become apparent. Any words from Albus about how it was normal to be nervous about such a thing were met with eye rolls. He vowed that, should Rose ever get nervous about introducing someone she was dating to the family, he would never let her live it down. It was only fair.

The Potters were easy to spot once they were off the train. The other families had given them space as if they didn't want to step on any toes. Lily had already rushed to them and was sharing the minute details of her exams with their parents. James was nowhere in sight.

Albus kept a firm grip on Scorpius's hand as Rose approached her own parents, who stood a few feet away from Harry and Ginny.

Albus's parents had zeroed in their gaze on Scorpius's and Albus's clasped hands right away, and both carried knowing smiles that left Albus feeling relieved before he'd even spoken.

He ran his thumb across the back of Scorpius's hand, knowing that the other boy was almost as nervous about this as he was, though he was trying to pretend for Albus's sake.

"Mum, Dad," he greeted.

Lily pouted over her story being interrupted, but she could tell that Albus's news was of greater importance than a Herbology question she'd struggled with and fell quiet.

Albus felt himself smiling. "This is Scorpius, my boyfriend."

He glanced at Scorpius and saw that he was smiling as well as he blushed.

"Hi, Mr and Mrs Potter."

Ginny's smile widened, and with a quiet, "Oh," she stepped forward and embraced both boys in the same hug.

Scorpius was overwhelmed by the attention, his grip on Albus's hand tightening. Albus offered him a reassuring smile as he patted his mum on the back with his free hand.

"I'm so happy for you two," Ginny said, just for the two of them.

"Thanks, Mum." Albus felt his throat tightening, and he cleared it, willing any possible tears away.

Harry stepped forward as soon as Ginny had released them. He patted Scorpius on the shoulder, offering him a gentle smile, but his eyes grew even more loving as he looked at Albus. He pulled his son into a half hug, holding him long enough to say, "Congratulations," and then a beat longer.

Albus felt tears prick at his eyes. He hadn't expected to be so emotional about this. He felt embarrassed as he reached up to, as discreetly as he could, wipe any moisture from his eyes. He was saved from crying in the middle of the platform by Rose, Hugo, and their parents approaching.

Rose looked satisfied with herself. So much so that Albus raised an eyebrow at her in a silent question. She motioned to her father over her shoulder, and Albus looked to see that Ron was a little nervous. He tugged on his collar, and for some reason, his gaze was on Albus and Scorpius.

"Rosie has asked if the two of you would like to stay with us for part of the summer." He glanced at Hermione, wanting her to take over. She raised an eyebrow, nudging Ron in the side. "I'm sure the three of you can work out the details together," he said, "but know that both of you are welcome at our house at anytime."

His gaze stayed on Scorpius. Albus, of course, had known he was free to visit the Granger-Weasleys "anytime" since he'd been a child. Though Ron appeared nervous about making his offer out loud, he was genuine, and Scorpius was thrilled to have been given the invitation. He shared an excited smile with Rose, who had given her father a hug as soon as he was finished speaking.

A surprised gasp from Scorpius made Albus notice Draco Malfoy approaching them. If Scorpius was surprised to see his father, Albus's family was stunned, watching him approach with trepidation.

When Draco reached them, he nodded at each of the adults briefly, and even Ron nodded back.

"Hi, Dad," Scorpius greeted brightly.

He was even more thrilled about this than he had been the invitation. He let go of Albus's hand to hug his father tightly. That was something new, Albus knew, that had only begun to be shared between them since Astoria's death.

Draco had opened his mouth to say something to Scorpius, but Ron clearing his throat interrupted him. If Ron had looked nervous before, he now looked pained, but he also seemed determined to speak.

"Uh, Malfoy, I just let your son know that Rose would like for him to spend time at our house this summer. She'll be in touch with him, but we'd be happy to have him. If that's okay with you."

This stunned Draco more than the previous invitation for Scorpius to join the Potters for part of the Christmas holidays had. It took him a moment to regain his composure and offer Ron a brief nod.

"Thank you for the offer, Weasley. I'm sure Scorpius would be happy to see Rose."

He looked to Scorpius for confirmation, and his son nodded eagerly.

"We should head home," Draco said. With a flick of his wand, Scorpius's trunk was hovering above the platform. "Your grandmother is looking forward to seeing you."

Scorpius didn't have the best relationship with Narcissa, but the mention of her did nothing to dampen his mood. He turned to Albus, wrapping him in a tight hug before the other boy had time to react. As they squeezed each other tightly, Scorpius spoke in Albus's ear.

"This is going to be the best summer ever."

Albus couldn't disagree.

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and especially everyone who reviewed. I'm very thankful for it! Though I have no plans for another story at the moment, I might revisit the world of this story in one-shots in the future. Just don't expect them too soon.**

 **In the meantime, I'm working on a Marauders Era fic and two Hunger Games fic as well as an Infernal Devices one-shot, so I'll try to get those up here as soon as possible.**


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